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South Africa mourns Albertina Sisulu

02 June 11 17:44 ET
Albertina and Walter Sisulu

South Africa is mourning one of the leading lights of the anti-apartheid movement, Albertina Sisulu, who has died aged 92.

Mrs Sisulu was the widow of Walter Sisulu, a friend and mentor of former South African President Nelson Mandela.

A political figure in her own right, she was active in the women's league of the African National Congress (ANC).

ANC spokesman Brian Sokutu said Mrs Sisulu had dedicated her life to bringing democracy to South Africa.

On Thursday, social networking websites in South Africa were flooded with tributes to the veteran campaigner.

Mrs Sisulu first met Walter Sisulu in the 1940s after she moved to Johannesburg to work as a nurse.

Although not from a political background, she quickly established herself as an anti-apartheid activist in her own right and was among those who in 1956 led a march of 20,000 women protesting at being forced to carry passbooks.

While her husband was confined to jail with Nelson Mandela, she found herself subject to periods of house arrest.

However, she also became an envoy for the ANC, visiting leaders overseas and drawing attention to the anti-apartheid struggle.

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