omzamo winifred zanyiwe madikizela was born, the fifth of nine children, in the village of mbongweni, bizana, in the transkei on 26 september 1936. during her infant years her father, columbus, was a local history teacher. in later years he was the minister of the transkei governments’ forestry and agriculture department during kaizer matanzima's rule. her mother, nomathamsanqa mzaidume (gertrude), was a science teacher. as a young girl, winnie’s family moved around within the former transkei, due to her father’s work. she attended primary school in bizana but when she was nine years old, the family moved to embongweni, where as well as attending school, winnie would help her father to labour on the farm. this helped create a closer bond with her father, who was known for his aloofness despite wielding a great love for his children. colombus, to all intents and purposes, was a proud man who greatly valued educated and who saw the importance of educating his children about their pondo roots as well as traditional academic subjects. when winnie was still young, two tragic events hit. firstly her elder sister, vuyelwa, contracted tuberculosis and died – an event which shook winnie’s belief in the god her mother had ardently prayed to during her daughter’s demise. secondly, soon after her sister’s death, winnie’s mother also developed the disease and died. however, shortly before her mother passed away she gave birth to a baby boy, whom winnie took responsibility for during her mother’s incapacitation, and after her death.