Nelson Mandela Dead -Former South African President Dies At 95!

Johannesburg, South Africa.
So sad. The former South African president died on Dec. 5 at the age of 95. He will be greatly missed. The current president Jacob Zuma announced the passing at 8:50pm local time in South Africa.

 

Nelson Mandela sadly passed away on Dec.5, 2013 at home in Houghton, South Africa. He had been suffering from a recurring lung infection and was frequently in the hospital over the last year. The revolutionary leader fought passionately against the injustice of apartheid and later dedicated himself to bringing the South African nation together peacefully after apartheid was abolished. He leaves behind an incredible legacy and will not be forgotten.
Nelson Mandela Dead — ‘Will Sleep for Eternity’

 

In an interview for the documentary, Mandela (1996), Nelson said, “Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.” Nelson truly committed himself to making the world a better place, and he succeeded.
Nelson was survived by his third wife, Graça Machel, three children, 17 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

 

Nelson Mandela’s Accomplishments
Nelson is credited for establishing South Africa’s democracy. After serving 27 years in prison for fighting apartheid, he became a major international figure. Along with the F.W. de Klerk, the South African President in 1993, Nelson won the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1994, Nelson was elected as the president of South Africa, and served one term, through 1999. He became an icon and a greatly admired leader. In 2012, South Africa printed a new set of banknotes, featuring Nelson smiling on the front of them as a tribute to him.
“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination,” Nelson once said, which means that he was one of the best combinations.
Even after Nelson’s presidency was over, he remained active in mediating conflicts from Africa to the Middle East.
President Barack Obama, Muhammad Ali & Other Celebrities Remember Mandela.

 

“We’ve lost one of the most influential courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us, he belongs to the ages,” President Barack Obama said in a press conference. “Today, he has gone home.”
“So long as I live, I will do what I can to learn from him,” the president continued before extending his sympathy to his loved ones. “I only hope that the time spent with him these last few weeks have brought them peace and comfort.”
“Let us pause and give thanks that Nelson Mandela lived.” South Africans mourned Friday the death of the man who led the fight to end the system of apartheid here and then went on to lead the country itself.
"We will always love Madiba for teaching us that it is possible to overcome hatred and anger in order to build a new nation and a new society," President Jacob Zuma told reporters Friday, using the affectionate clan name shared by his countrymen for Nelson Mandela, who died Thursday at age 95.
He will be buried in a state funeral on Sunday, December 15, in his ancestral hometown of Qunu in the Eastern Cape province in a state funeral, Zuma said.
Sunday will be a "national day of prayer and reflection," in which people throughout the nation will gather in places of worship to conduct "prayer services and meditation reflecting on the life" of Mandela, Zuma said.