Evelyn Mase, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Evelyn Mase

South African nurse and first wife of Nelson Mandela

Date of Birth: 18-May-1922

Place of Birth: Transkei, South Africa

Date of Death: 30-Apr-2004

Profession: nurse

Nationality: South Africa

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Evelyn Ntoko Mase (18 May 1922 – 30 April 2004) was a South African nurse, who was the first wife of the anti-apartheid activist and future politician Nelson Mandela, to whom she was married from 1944 to 1958.
She was the mother of four of his children, including Thembekile Mandela, Makgatho Mandela and Makaziwe Mandela. She met Mandela through her cousin Walter Sisulu and his wife Albertina, subsequently marrying him at the Native Commissioner's Court.
Living together as a family in Soweto, they raised four children.
However, their relationship came under strain as Mandela became increasingly involved in the African National Congress.
Eschewing politics, she became a Jehovah's Witness.
Accusing him of adultery, they divorced in 1958, and he went on to marry Winnie Mandela that year.
Taking the children, she moved to Cofimvaba and opened a grocery store, but appeared in the South African press when Mandela was released.
In 1998 she married a Sowetan businessman Simon Rakeepile.
Her funeral attracted international attention, being attended by Mandela, Winnie, and Mandela's third wife, Graça Machel.