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December 6, 2013 by David Smith in Johannesburg
Nelson Mandela and his wife, Graça Machel, who he described as a gracious and brilliant lady. Photograph: Louise Gubb/Corbis
Many South Africans will say they have lost their tata, as in father. But amid the outpouring of emotion here and around the world, it is easy to forget that there is a woman mourning her husband. Graça Machel married Nelson Mandela on his 80th birthday on 18 July 1998, providing an unexpected romantic epilogue to an epic life. She was to be his champion and companion in his twilight years and first witness to his inexorable decline. Machel is 27 years younger than Mandela but has known the pain of loss before. Her first husband, Mozambican president Samora Machel, died in a mysterious plane crash in 1986. She is the only woman in the world to have been first lady of two countries. Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/06/graca-machel-nelson-mandela-wife |
