Ma Tambo dies in Johannesburg

Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Adelaide Frances Tambo (77), widow of former African National Congress (ANC) leader Oliver Tambo, died at her home in Johannesburg. Ma Tambo, as she was lovingly called, became involved in politics at the age of 10 after her grandfather was beaten by police. By 18, she was a branch chairman of the ANC and spent her life participating in the party's resistance to apartheid. Her funeral service at Wattville stadium on 2 February was attended by thousands of mourners, including President Thabo Mbeki and former president Nelson Mandela, as well as several cabinet ministers. She was laid to rest beside her late husband in the Tamboville Cemetery at about 1pm.

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01mybroadband, Adelaide Tambo dies, from My ADSL Broad Band News, [online], Available at mybroadband.co.za [Accessed: 20 December 2013]
02Mail&Gaurdian, True Heroine Ma Tambo Dies, from Mail and Gaurdian Africa's Best Read, [online], Available at https://mg.co.za [Accessed: 20 December 2013]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). Ma Tambo dies in Johannesburg. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013703

South African History Online (2011) 'Ma Tambo dies in Johannesburg', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013703 (Accessed: 24 July 2026).

South African History Online, Ma Tambo dies in Johannesburg [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013703, (accessed 24 July 2026).

"Ma Tambo dies in Johannesburg." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013703. Accessed 24 July 2026.

South African History Online. "Ma Tambo dies in Johannesburg." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013703.