John Lawrence, Winnie Mandela’s bodyguard, dies after a shoot

On the evening of 10 November 1993, Winnie Mandela and her bodyguard, John Lawrence, were driving through the centre of Johannesburg, when Lawrence had an altercation with a pedestrian.  According to a police spokesperson, Lawrence allegedly pointed his pistol at and slapped the pedestrian.  Lawrence then got back into the car, but the pedestrian, who was armed, followed and caught up with the car at a busy intersection.  A shoot-out then occurred between the two men, ending in both their deaths.  Winnie Mandela, who was still married to Nelson Mandela at the time, was unharmed.  Although a political motive for the shooting was ruled out, the head of the African National Congress' (ANC) legal department, Matthews Phosa, stated that plots to assassinate political figures within the ANC were not uncommon. When asked for his comment on the incident, Nelson Mandela, who was in Kwa-Zulu Natal at the time, said that he hoped justice would be done.  A statement taken from Mrs. Mandela seemed to confirm the information released by police investigations.   References: Carin, J. 22 November 1993. Winnie Mandela attack "not political". The Independent World. [online] Available at: independent.co.uk [Accessed 10 November] Coleman, M. (ed)(1998). A Crime Against Humanity: analysing the repression of the apartheid state. Johannesburg: Human Rights Committee. Winnie Mandela Unhurt as Driver is Slain. 22 November 1993. The New York Times. [online] Available at: nytimes.com [Accessed 10 November]