2007年VOA标准英语-Anti-Apartheid Veteran Adelaide Tambo Dies

By Delia Robertson
Johannesburg
01 February 2007

Adelaide Tambo, wife of the late Oliver Tambo and South African former President Nelson Mandela attend the unveiling of the O.R Tambo International Airport 27 Ocr 2006 in Johannesburg

Adelaide Tambo, widow of former African National Congress president Oliver Tambo, and a stalwart of the anti-apartheid struggle in her own right, has died at her home in Johannesburg. VOA's Delia Robertson in Johannesburg has more.

Adelaide Tambo collapsed¹ in her home late Wednesday, and died soon afterwards from an apparent heart attack. Her death, at 77-years, was unexpected. Earlier in the day, she had visited her doctor for a checkup, and was pronounced fit and healthy.

Mama Adelaide, as she was fondly known by many South Africans, was harshly exposed to the reality of apartheid as a 10-year-old, when her octogenarian grandfather was flogged by white police in the town square in Vereeniging, an industrial town south of Johannesburg.

The young girl cradled her unconscious grandfather in her arms until he revived, and later said the incident sparked a life-long determination to fight racism² and apartheid. By the age of 16, she was acting³ as a courier for the African National Congress, and became a branch leader at 18.

In 1960, following a major crackdown on the liberation movements by the apartheid state, the ANC instructed her husband, Oliver, to leave South Africa and set up an external wing of the organization. Adelaide followed a few months later, and the couple settled in London.

Their home became a refuge for hundreds of South African exiles over the years, including former President Nelson Mandela, before he was jailed, and current President Thabo Mbeki. It was there that Tambo, working as a nurse to support her family and many others, became known as Mama Adelaide.

Thembi Modise, former ANC soldier and current speaker of the North West Province parliament, told national radio, Mama Adelaide's caring embrace accommodated any who needed it.

"But I think all of us will always remember Ma Tambo for loving everybody," said Modise. "For loving the poor, for opening up her arms, for making sure that people had food. Because she believed that you would never think, if your stomach was empty. She went all out and fed all of us."

Modise says that, during that time, Tambo took a special interest in the women soldiers of the ANC's military wing, sending care packages that included new underwear and the occasional bottle of perfume to their camps in remote African locations. She knew, said Modise, that the women greatly valued the little things that reminded them of their femininity.

The Tambos returned to South Africa in 1990, but Oliver Tambo died of a stroke in 1993, and never saw the democracy for which he fought so hard. Mama Adelaide served a five-year term in the first democratic parliament, and since 1999, busied herself with charities that care for the elderly.

Speaking on national radio, former parliament speaker Frene Ginwala reminded the country Tambo was one of a special generation that is gradually passing from the South African political and social landscape.

"We are losing the values, the principles, the love of that generation. We are losing a parent, as a nation," said Ginwala. "One of the tragedies of current South Africa is that they did not have an opportunity to really know people like Adelaide or Oliver Tambo."

Tributes have been pouring in from across the country. Elder statesman Nelson Mandela said Adelaide Tambo was an exceptional woman, who dedicated⁴ her life to freedom and service. President Thabo Mbeki said she devoted⁵ her life to the struggle against apartheid and against sexism.

1 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

2 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。