South Africa mourns anti-apartheid heroine, Frene Ginwala

South Africans will on Tuesday begin seven days of mourning in in honour of Frene Ginwala, who became the founding speaker of South Africa’s first democratically elected parliament.

Ms Ginwala died on Thursday night aged 90.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed that the national flag be flown at half-mast around the country until the evening of Tuesday 24 January 2023, according to a statement from his office.

More details will be announced later on an official memorial service that will take place in Johannesburg next Tuesday.

During the 1960s and 1970s Ms Ginwala lived in exile in Mozambique from where she helped many prominent members of the banned African National Congress (ANC) escape abroad.

Ms Ginwala also travelled around the world drawing international attention to the abuses of the apartheid era.

Source: BBC