Anti-apartheid campaigner Winnie Mandela has died aged 81

Nelson Mandela's ex-wife is reported to have passed away peacefully.

Winnie Mandela has died at the age of 81. She was a major part of the campaign to end white-majority rule in South Africa, and she was married to the late Nelson Mandela when he was imprisoned on Robben Island. The news was first reported by her personal assistant. In a statement released by a family spokesperson, Winnie is said to have died peacefully after a "long illness for which she had been in and out of hospital since the start of the year." "She succumbed peacefully in the early hours of Monday afternoon surrounded by her family and loved ones."