Mandela’s wives end mourning, begin life afresh

Members of the family of late former South Africa President, Nelson Mandela, have ended the traditional mourning period for the global icon, seven months after his death.

According to Daludumo Mtirara, who was speaking on Monday on behalf of the family, the mourning period for Mandela ended on Sunday with a cleansing ceremony and burning of their black mourning clothes.

The cleansing ceremony was performed in Qunu, where Mandela was buried; and traditional beet and meat were served.

Mtirara said that since Mandela’s death, his wife Graca Machel and ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela had been wearing black and were barred from making public appearances, as a sign of mourning.

But the clan has now formally freed the two widows from the mourning period, and they are now free to serve the people of South Africa and the continent without any hindrance.

“These elders must go back and start to serve the communities, because this is what Madiba was always telling us,” he said, according to NAN.

“They must also start where Madiba left and continue to make sure that they make value to the people of South Africa.

“They must make sure that we make the people of South Africa proud that this icon has left us with vigilant and strong wives.”

He added that the mourning period and the end of it have significant roles in reaffirming the relationship between the wives and the family of the Dlomo clan.

“We also do confirm and accept our grannies Graca and Winnie that they are still wives of the Dlomo clan not necessarily their late husband,” he said.

“We are here to give them as much support, as we can as long as they still remain with us till death do them part.”

Among the Xhosa tribe where Mandela hails from, the mourning period traditionally lasts 12 months, as a sign of respect for the dead.

But the mourning period for Mandela was agreed to be halved to six months.

One of the most revered global leaders of all time, Mandela, an anti-apartheid icon and South Africa’s first black president, died of lung disease in Johannesburg on December 5, 2013.