For Creamer Media’s Polity, I’m Simone Liedtke.

Making headlines: Ramaphosa says Winnie was a voice for the voiceless, Parliament pays tribute to Madikizela-Mandela And, Sierra Leone opposition says he has won the presidential poll but the ruling party disputes this

Ramaphosa says Winnie was a voice for the voiceless

South Africa has lost a mother, a leader and an icon, President Cyril Ramaphosa told the nation during his official announcement of the death of struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela last night.

Ramaphosa said she was a voice for the voiceless.

The announcement followed an earlier confirmation that the 81-year-old had died peacefully at the Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg.

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s executive director, Neeshan Balton said Madikizela-Mandela dedicated her life to fighting societal injustices.

The SACP hailed Madikizela-Mandela as a stalwart of the struggle for liberation, a resolute gender transformation activist and national democratic revolutionary.

Parliament pays tribute to Madikizela-Mandela

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was a "solid rock and defender of the vulnerable and defenceless", Parliament's presiding officers have said.

National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete and National Council of Provinces chairperson Thandi Modise both expressed shock over the death of the struggle icon.

In a joint statement they said Madikizela-Mandela defied the repressive laws and associated patriarchy, embodied a brave character of an unflinching woman in the wake of all odds against her throughout her life," they said in a joint statement.

Sierra Leone opposition says he has won the presidential poll but the ruling party disputes this

The opposition Sierra Leone People's Party said yesterday its candidate Julius Maada Bio had won a presidential run-off election according to its own compilation of results, while the ruling party said it held a "comfortable lead".

A spokesperson for the ruling All People's Congress told Reuters that its candidate Samura Kamara was ahead based on a tabulation of around 83 percent of the ballots cast in Saturday's poll.

Maada Bio and Kamara are competing to replace outgoing President Ernest Bai Koroma, who was not allowed to run due to constitutional term limits.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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