Graça Machel
Graça Machel | |||||||||||||||
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Graça Machel in 2010 | |||||||||||||||
| First Lady of South Africa | |||||||||||||||
| In role 18 July 1998 – 14 June 1999 | |||||||||||||||
| President | Nelson Mandela | ||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Zindzi Mandela Zenani Mandela | ||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Zanele Mbeki | ||||||||||||||
| First Lady of Mozambique | |||||||||||||||
| In role 11 November 1975 – 19 October 1986 | |||||||||||||||
| President | Samora Machel | ||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Position established | ||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Marcelina Chissano | ||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||
| Born | Graça Simbine 17 October 1945 Incadine, Portuguese Mozambique | ||||||||||||||
| Party | FRELIMO (1973–present) African National Congress (1998–present) | ||||||||||||||
| Spouses | |||||||||||||||
| Children | 2, including Josina Z. Machel | ||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Mandela family (by marriage) | ||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Lisbon | ||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Teacher, politician, activist | ||||||||||||||
Graça Machel DBE (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɡɾasɐ mɐˈʃɛl]; née Simbine [sĩˈbinɨ]; born 17 October 1945) is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian. Machel is an international advocate for women's and children's rights and was made an honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 for her humanitarian work. She is the only woman in modern history to have served as First Lady of two countries: South Africa and Mozambique. She is the widow of former President of Mozambique Samora Machel (1975–1986) and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela (1998–2013).
Graça Machel is a member of the Africa Progress Panel (APP), a group of ten distinguished individuals who advocate at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa. As a panel member, she facilitates coalition building to leverage and broker knowledge, and convenes decision-makers to influence policy for lasting change in Africa. She was chancellor of the University of Cape Town between 1999 and 2019.