Cape Town - British model Naomi Campbell was one of the first international celebrities to pay tribute to Mam’Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
Mam’Winnie died on Monday after a long illness in a Johannesburg hospital with her loved ones at her side.
Naomi tweeted that Mam’Winnie was a “woman of strength that endured so much hardship and sacrifice.”
The 47-year-old model and actress had a very close relationship with the former president’s wife, even calling Nelson Mandela her "honorary grandfather.”
In her tweet Naomi says she and the rest of the world would have never known Madiba and of his 27 years in prison if it wasn’t for Mam’Winnie.
Naomi is also a supporter of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.