President Yoweri Museveni was eulogized the late South African anti-apartheid campaigner Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was the former wife of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela.

Museveni described Mrs Mandela has the face of the struggle of the people of South Africa.

The President made the remarks during his visit to the South African High Commission in Kampala, where he signed a condolence book and paid his last respects to Winnie Mandela.

“In 1964, when Mzee Mandela was sent to jail, I was in Senior Four and I was following what was going on. He came out in 1990. During those nearly 30 years, a lot of things had happened here in Uganda and in South Africa. I had finished my education, worked briefly for our government, participated in two wars, and become President of Uganda. Meanwhile in South Africa, a lot of things had happened too. Many anti-apartheid activists had been imprisoned, exiled and others killed,” Museveni said.

“When Mandela would appear in pictures, he had this beautiful young lady beside him. When he was imprisoned, this young lady became the face of the African National Congress. She had her own fair share of arrests, detentions and confinement. She was the face of the struggle until the early 70s when other faces began to appear to support the cause. The likes of Steve Biko, COSATU and then the 1976 Soweto student uprising. Winnie Mandela filled an indispensable gap for the struggle of our people in South Africa. And all this, minus any prior preparation for this role. It is for this reason that I had to go to the high commission and condole with South Africans and the rest of Africa,” he added.

Winnie Mandela passed away on Monday April 2 2018 at the age of 81.

Family spokesman Victor Dlamini said Mrs Mandela “succumbed peacefully in the early hours of Monday afternoon surrounded by her family and loved ones” following a long illness, which had seen her go in and out of hospital since the start of the year.