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Biographer of Nelson Mandela and veteran South African anti-apartheid activist Dr Fatima Meer, a recipient of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, died in Durban on Friday after a long illness. She was 81.
Tributes from all over the world poured in following the death of Meer, who was one of recipients of the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Samman in 2003.
The outspoken African National Congress (ANC) leader, Meer was close confidantes of Nelson Mandela.
From an early age, she took active part in political, social and philanthropic causes and was deeply influenced by the Gandhian values.
Professor Meer organised concerts to raise funds, in the 1940s and 50s for famine relief in Bengal.
Meer was instrumental in rebuilding relationships between Indians and Blacks after riots between the two communities in 1949.