NAME: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

AGE: 64

NATIONALITY: South African

CLAIM TO FAME: The infamous former wife of Nelson Mandela

SHE was once hailed as the ‘mother of the nation’. But that was when Winnie Mandela was the wife of the imprisoned icon of social justice who later became the most famous and adorable statesman in the world. Now, she is just an ordinary gang-boss, accused of kidnapping and killing no less than 17 members of her own community.

Last week, a court in South Africa sent the former wife of ex-president Nelson Mandela to five years in jail. She was convicted on 43 counts of fraud and 25 counts of theft. This was, indeed, a sharp turnaround for a woman who, during the 27 years of her husband’s imprisonment, was one of the leaders of the anti-apartheid movement. However, as courts dig deep into South Africa’s dirty past, being at the forefront of the freedom struggle wasn’t the only of Winnie’s activities.

During those dark years of apartheid rule, accusations were rife that Winnie operated her very own brand of justice that was governed by her very own court. However, it wasn’t before 1988, when the body of a tortured 14-year-old boy was found in her house that she fell foul of the law.

She pleaded innocence, a cause that was helped by the fact that apartheid was still in place and her husband was still in prison. But the accusations did not fo away. And after years of turmoil, during which her celebrated marriage with Nelson Mandela ended, she was implicated in crimes of assault and murder by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1997.

During the latest trial, the court heard from countless witnesses, who had previously been too scared to testify against the woman who is now been likened to the likes of Idi Amin and Al Capone. Witnesses included relatives of victims and former henchmen who either helped her in the crime or saw it happen. They charged that Winnie personally whipped black activists, put plastic bags over their heads and ordered her henchmen to “take the dogs away” as she swigged from a brandy bottle.

Mandela’s henchmen would take the bodies from the torture session and dump them in an old abandoned goldmine, after she had delivered her verdict on whether they should live or die. Some were accused of being spies for the white apartheid police; others had simply lost her confidence.

Following the verdict, Winnie Mandela, as ever, remained defiant, punching a fist into the air after emerging from court and saying she would appeal against the sentence. But then, even if that fails, she will be allowed out of prison in less than a year, serving the remainder of her sentence doing community service.