ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 20, 1996 TAG: 9603200063
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
Saying he could see no likelihood that President Nelson Mandela and his wife, Winnie, would ever be reconciled, a judge here Tuesday granted Mandela's petition for a divorce, ending a 38-year marriage that endured the persecution of apartheid only to founder after he was released from prison.
The ruling came after a day in which Winnie Mandela abruptly dismissed her attorney and then, in a wavering voice, begged the court for a postponement. But the judge dismissed her actions as yet another delaying tactic and ordered her to defend herself. She repeatedly refused.
After the judge made his ruling, Nelson Mandela stood and gazed at her, seated only a few feet away. She turned her back to him and left the courtroom quickly without comment. The president then shook the hand of Winnie Mandela's dismissed attorney, telling him he had done a good job in a very difficult situation.
- New York Times
LENGTH: Short : 28 linesby CNB