Emotional tributes to anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela have poured in during an hours-long memorial service attended by thousands in Soweto.

South Africa has declared 10 days of national mourning for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the anti-apartheid activist and ex-wife of Nelson Mandela who died after a long illness.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, prominent anti-apartheid activist and the ex-wife of Nelson Mandela, died in a hospital on Monday after a long illness at the age of 81.

Nelson Mandela's ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, has no rights to his rural home, a South African court has ruled.