Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the ex-wife of South Africa’s former President Nelson Mandela, has died at the age of 81.

The anti-apartheid campaigner and one-time wife of the late Mandela passed away after a long illness, her personal assistant confirmed on Monday.

She was married to Nelson Mandela – Nobel Peace Prize laureate and icon of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle – for 38 years, of which Mandela spent 27 behind bars.