Nelson Mandela Weds Winnie Madikizela
On June 14, 1958, Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela got married, shortly after meeting in 1957 while she was waiting at a Soweto bus stop. Mandela, then married to Evelyn Mase, was captivated by the 22-year-old Winnie, leading to a lunch date the following week. They had two daughters, Zenani, born in 1958, and Zindziswa, born in 1960.
Their relationship faced severe challenges when Mandela was imprisoned in 1963, remaining incarcerated until 1990. The couple separated in 1992 and finalized their divorce in March 1996. During the divorce proceedings, Mandela gave Winnie's infidelity as his reason for seeking to separate from her and rejected her suggestion of arbitration to resolve the issue.
Mandela's request to end the marriage was granted. However, Winnie's claim for up to $5 million (R70 million), half of what she alleged her ex-husband was worth, was dismissed when she failed to attend a court hearing.
Grenfell Tower Fire Kills 72 In London
Also, on this day in 2017, a catastrophic fire broke out at Grenfell Tower- a 24-story building in West London. The inferno resulted in the deaths of seventy-two people, left many injured, and rendered hundreds homeless, making it the most fatal fire in Britain in over a century.
At about 1:00 AM, the fire began in a fourth-floor apartment due to a malfunctioning Hotpoint fridge-freezer. The flames quickly spread from the kitchen to the building's exterior, which housed around 300 low-income residents. The fire swiftly ascended the sides of the building, engulfing multiple floors. Despite the rapid response of firefighters, who arrived promptly, the fire had already reached the top floor by 2:00 A.M., leading to the declaration of a "major incident."
The high casualty rate was largely due to the building's "stay-put" fire policy. This policy misled residents into believing that the structure could contain a fire outbreak within an apartment until firefighters could extinguish it. Consequently, many stayed in their apartments or moved to higher floors, thinking they would be safe. As smoke filled the narrow stairwell, some residents defied the policy and evacuated, while others stayed, unaware of the imminent danger. By 2:47 A.M, officials abandoned the stay-put directive and urged residents to evacuate if possible, but for many, it was already too late.
By 4:30 A.M, the entire tower was engulfed in flames. Over 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines responded to the scene, but it took more than 24 hours to fully extinguish the fire. This tragedy exposed significant safety failures and spurred widespread demands for reforms in building regulations and fire safety standards.
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