Anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela dies aged 81

File photo dated Sunday, February 11, 1990, of Winnie with husband Nelson walking hand in hand upon his release from Victor prison, Cape Town (AP Photo)

Madikizela-Mandela was married to Nelson Mandela from 1958 to 1996.

Mandela was imprisoned throughout most of their marriage and Madikizela-Mandela's own activism against the apartheid regime led to her being imprisoned for months and spending years under house arrest.

Her political activism was marred by a kidnapping and assault conviction in 1991, for which she was fined.

She faced these allegations again during the 1997 hearings before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a panel that investigated apartheid-era crimes.

As a parliamentarian after South Africa's first all-race elections, she was convicted of fraud.

Still, she was widely venerated in South Africa for her role in fighting white minority rule.