KINGSTON, Jamaica — The People’s National Party (PNP) says it is saddened by the death of Winnie Mandela, South African freedom fighter and ex-wife of the late Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president.

The PNP, in a release this afternoon, hailed Winnie as an outstanding figure in the fight against apartheid.

“She was head of the African National Congress’ Women’s League, a role which positioned her into direct conflict with the racist government of the day and put her life under direct threat for many years,” the party said, recalling that she  was unflinching in her quest to rid South Africa of the system of hate based on racial lines that segregated, brutalised and murdered thousands of black South Africans.

The PNP lamented that Winnie was the face of strength, courage and resilience as she stood against the pressures imposed by a brutal and hostile government.

“She became the global symbol of a woman of purpose as she encapsulated the passion and determination of the African National Congress (ANC) in the heights of the anti-apartheid struggle, when the top tier leadership, including her husband Nelson Mandela, was imprisoned or in exile,” said the PNP.

Winnie held several government positions during her political life and history will name her as a righteous warrior in the fight for freedom of the South African people from the hateful and deathly grip of apartheid.

The party said it continues to treasure memories of Mandela’s visit to Jamaica in 1990s, where both Winnie and the newly elected President Nelson Mandela were warmly received by the nation and expresses condolences to the Mandela family, the ANC and the people of South Africa.