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Mandela’s 3rd Wife Graca Machel
Though Mandela’s break up with Winnie was reported as very distressing to
Mandela, he got married for a third time, to Graca Machel, the widow of the
former President of Mozambique Samora Machel, on his 80th birthday, July
18, 1998
Graça Machel lives in Mozambique and uses her name from her previous
marriage. She is reluctant to give up status in her native land where she
headed the first United Nations study on the impact of war on children and
the chair person for the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa
(AWEPA) Executive Committee
It is apparent that Mandela early rep as a ladies man is quite proven. He
admitted he was under immense pressure from members of the clergy in
making the decision with Graca stating that the members were concerned
that the couple was setting a bad example by being in an unwed relationship for over two years.
Mandela explained that they kept the wedding secret because they wouldn't have known which of the
"numerous friends" to invite, and create a public spectacle with traffic jams in the streets. At first there were
the rumours and speculation, until Graca exclusive interview with Ebony South Africa, with whom she did
admit to her relationship with Mandela.
"I can't deny it. It did happen," she says. Machel also mentioned that after
suffering so much grief over the death of her husband she is experiencing a
happiness she thought she would never feel again
Mandela said that he was being pressure from all sides. "Even in Parliament in
my country, deputies told me I should get married," Mandela said.
"The pressure became unbearable."
Some time after getting married, Mandela announced the end of his public life
to allow his three organizations (the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Nelson
Mandela Children’s Fund and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation) to carry on his
humanitarian work. On his 90th birthday celebrations in 2008, he told the
people to pick up the baton of leadership:
“It’s in your hands to make the world a better place” Mandela explained. He changed the 46664 concert
slogan – ‘It’s in our hands’, to ‘It’s in your hands’. This clearly showed Mandela’s intention. It was not just
about sharing the leadership but it was also taking the focus of the attention away from him. It signaled the
beginning of the end and the only lingering question was whether the aging Mandela still had the staying
power to witness the 2010 FIFA World Cup on
South African soil.
Mandela was rarely seen in public, amidst
speculation on the status of his health. In 2009
the first Mandela Day was held on Mandela’s
birthday. In November it was declared Nelson
Mandela International Day by the United
Nations.
With everyone awaiting his presence at the first
day of the 2010 FIFA World Cup competition to
support his Bafana Bafana team compete
against Mexico, Mandela had to watch from his
home… (
Cont’d on page 46)
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ssrmagazine.comPhoto by:
Christine van der Merwe