Sunday, December 15, 2013

10 things you probably didnt know about late Nelson Mandela's wife,Graca Machel.



Not only is Nelson Mandela the former president of South Africa and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, but he is also a father, grandfather and even great-grandfather of a huge family. Mandela has been married three times and has fathered six children. Here he poses with his wife of 15 years, Graca Machel.

  • She's been First Lady of two nations, buried both husbands.
Before she got married to the South African anti-apartheid icon, Machel was the first lady of Mozambique. Her husband, President Samora Machel, died in a mysterious plane crash in 1986.
  • She was much younger:
When they got married in 1998, she was 52, Mandela was 80.
But she says their advanced age made their relationship better. "We were grown up; we were settled; we knew the value of a companion, of a partner," she says.
  • She separated the man from the icon:
At the beginning of their relationship, Machel says, there was a conflict between the man she married and the world's perception of him.
"The aura around him was a bit confusing. But then I learned to live with it, in terms of separating the two," she told CNN's Robyn Curnow in a rare interview in 2008.
  • South Africa wasn't always in love with her:
Protective of their beloved Madiba, the nation did not warm up to a foreign first lady at first. She remained in the background at the beginning, and then slowly won them over with her loyalty and laid-back demeanor.
  • She has something in common with the Kennedys:
In Mozambique, she was nicknamed Jackie Kennedy. Not just for her class and grace, but because of the tragedy that befell her husband while in office.
  • It wasn't love at first sight:
After they met, she was reluctant to marry him or discuss their relationship in public. But Mandela wooed her the old-fashioned way, occasionally giving his bodyguards headaches as president when he'd make unannounced stops to buy her chocolates.
  • She's kindred spirits with Mandela:
Machel has something in common with her freedom fighter husband. While living in Mozambique, she was outspoken against the Portuguese colonial government.
  • She's qualified in her own right:
She served as minister of education and culture in Mozambique for more than 10 years. She is especially passionate about youth education, and has served as an expert on children's issues for the United Nations.
  • She's Mandela's third wife:
Mandela was first married to Evelyn Mase, but their marriage ended in divorce. In his biography "Long Walk to Freedom," Mandela has said Mase made him choose between family and politics.
He later married Winnie Mandela, a firebrand who became his voice when he was in prison. After their contentious divorce in 1996, Mandela married Machel two years later.
  • Their wedding was private:
Despite Mandela's larger-than-life status, they got married on his birthday 15 years ago. Their wedding was a low-key event attended by close family and friends.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:26 pm

    Noted!

    ReplyDelete
  2. teleme6:26 pm

    So Madiba had been married twice?i never knew

    ReplyDelete
  3. Iyanya's boo11:08 pm

    What do u mean by kindred spirit?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous12:56 pm

    Yeah,what do u mean by kindred Spirit

    ReplyDelete

Disclaimer: Comments on this blog are not posted by the Blog owner, therefore, the blog owner will not be liable for any comments made by readers.Thank you.

If you need contact Meme on
News/Tip Off/Adverts :-
Email: Memelush96@gmail.com
Mobile Number: 07032474399/08153415711
Instagram:-@memetush
Twitter :@Lysteekal