Winnie Mandela
Perhaps the most famous woman on this list, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s story can be told apart from her very short time as the first lady of South Africa.
Much of the controversy surrounding Winnie happened before 1994. She was accused among, other things, of masterminding the torture and murder of individuals she believed were informants for the apartheid government.
She never fully convinced the public of her innocence. She was also quite critical of the forgiving approach Nelson had taken towards white people in South Africa.
