Family
and officials gather at Soweto's Orlando stadium for the funeral
service of anti-apartheid icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in Soweto,
South Africa, on Saturday.
Soweto, South Africa (CNN)South
Africans gathered Saturday to bid farewell to Winnie
Madikizela-Mandela, an anti-apartheid icon hailed as the mother of a
nation and a political force.
Crowds
packed Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg's Soweto township for the
funeral following a private service at the home of Madikizela-Mandela,
the former wife of the late Nelson Mandela,
who served as South Africa's President after fighting for decades to
deliver the nation from apartheid. Mourners followed her coffin in
procession into the stadium, where the funeral began with the singing of
the national anthem.
Her daughter, Zenani
Mandela-Dlamini, was among the speakers at the funeral. Dignitaries also
included Presidents of the Republic of Congo and Namibia, as well as
civil rights leaders from around the world, including the Rev. Jesse
Jackson.
"She
made a choice to raise two families, hers and the beloved country,"
Mandela-Dlamini said. "She cherished freedom as much as she treasured
family. She protected both from constant assault from apartheid state."
The
flag-draped casket carrying Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's remains arrives
Saturday, April 14, 2018, at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, South
Africa.
Madikizela-Mandela died this month in a Johannesburg hospital after a long illness. She was 81.
As
one of the country's most prominent and polarizing figures, she
retained political clout long after her divorce from Mandela. Since
apartheid ended in the 1990s, she served in several government roles,
including as a member of parliament and leader of the ruling party's
women's league.
"Today, we
lay to rest our heroine, a struggle stalwart and mother-to-the-nation,"
the government tweeted Saturday
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