It has been reported that Nelson Mandela has passed away at the age of 95 in his home in South Africa. The sad news comes after a long illness and spending almost three months in hospital with a chronic lung infection.
Nelson Mandela is known for being the first South African black President and is an anti-apartheid icon. Having spent 27 years in prison, he lead South Africa away from a white-majority rule in the 1990s.
BBC News has reported that President Zuma spoke on national television announcing Mandela had ‘departed’ and that ‘our nation has lost its greatest son’.
Earlier today it was reported that there was an unusually large gathering of family at his home is Johannesburg despite the presidency describing his condition as being ‘critical but stable’ since his departure from hospital.
President Zuma also announced that Mandela will get a state funeral and national flags will be lowered to half mast in his honour. Sky News reports that David Cameron has said ‘A great light has gone out in the world; Nelson Mandela was a hero of our time. I’ve asked for the flag at No.10 to be flown at half mast’.
President Obama has spoken not only of the influence that Mandela had on his own life personally, and the example he set but said that ‘We've lost the most influential, courageous and profoundly good of human beings’ and ‘He no longer belongs to us, he belongs to the ages’.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation have tweeted ‘“Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people&his country, he can rest in peace” #Madiba’ under a twitter account named @NelsonMandela.
Nelson Mandela will be remembered around the world for his fight for equality and peace negotiations.
Kailey Hazeldene
