JOHANNESBURG - Leaders of the African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape will on Friday pay homage to the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela at Mbizana, her birthplace.
''We will continue to celebrate and honour her lasting legacy over the next seven days of mourning and beyond. The legacy that we are proud of and one we hope will be emulated by generations to come,'' the party said in a statement.
Premier Oscar Mabuyane visited the Madikizela-Mandela family at their Soweto home early Friday.
A tribute book for the public to write condolence messages will be available at the provincial party head office, James Calata House, in King Williams Town. Memorial services will be held across the province in areas including Queenstown, Butterworth and East London.
Madikizela-Mandela died on Monday at Johannesburg's Milpark Hospital, aged 81. She was born in Mbizana, Pondoland, on September 26, 1936. Her mother Nomathamsanqa Mzaidume, a teacher, died when Winnie was eight. Her father became minister of forestry and agriculture of the then Transkei government during the rule of bantustan leader Kaizer Matanzima.
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Madikizela-Mandela attended high school at Shawbury before completing a social work diploma at the Jan Hofmeyer School in Johannesburg. This was followed by a BA with an International Relations major at the University of the Witwatersrand. She worked a s a social worker at Soweto's Baragwanath Hospital, where she exposed to the abject poverty under which black people were forced to live. The young Winnie became politicised, fighting for the rights of the poor and defenseless until her death.
The mother of the nation, as she was fondly known, will be buried at Fourways Memorial Park on April 14. The special funeral service will be held at Orlando Stadium.