The story of Graca Machel, the first lady of two different countries
Gracas first marriage was in sept 1975 to the then president of Mozambique Samora machel, Machel was a widower whose wife Josina, had passed on in 1971,while married, Craca took on her husband's last name Machel, she was both the first lady of Mozambique & the minister of Education, Together, they had two children
Sadly a month after their eleventh wedding anniversary, her husband died in a suspicious plane crush, in October 1986,Graca was devastated by the loss of her husband, she resigned from her ministerial position possibly so she could mourn the death of her husband
Graca's second marriage was to the revered Nelson Mandela who was the then president of south Africa, Graca served as the first lady of south Africa for only one year,as Mandela served as President for only one term before stepping down
Graca was 52 years old when she got married to Mandela who was 80 years old, their age gap although large seems to be common among our African leaders, Mugabe ,Zimbabwe's former late president & his wife Grace Mugabe had a 40 year's age gap between them,Graca was Mandela's 3rd,he had divorced his previous two wives. Their marriage lusted until Mandela's passing in Dec 2013
Craca has lived the life that most little girls can only dream of,she has been the first lady of not one but two different nations, yet what is most impressive is her ability to establish an identity outside her famous marriage, in addition to being the first lady of two nations, she is also an award winning leader in her own right, she brought more to the table than just a pretty face