Nelson Mandela dead at 95

Nelson Mandela dead at 95

Nelson Mandela dead at 95

Nelson Mandela dead at 95

Nelson Mandela dead at 95

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.”

Former professional boxer Muhammad Ali also released a touching statement praising the late leader on Dec. 5:

I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Mandela. His was a life filled with purpose and hope; hope for himself, his country and the world. He inspired others to reach for what appeared to be impossible and moved them to break through the barriers that held them hostage mentally, physically, socially and economically. He made us realize, we are our brother’s keeper and that our brothers come in all colors. What I will remember most about Mr.Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul and spirit could not be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars or the burden of hate and revenge. He taught us forgiveness on a grand scale. His was a spirit born free, destined to soar above the rainbows. Today his spirit is soaring through the heavens. He is now forever free.

Actor Morgan Freeman released a statement about Nelson’s passing, saying:

Today the world lost one of the true giants of the past century. Nelson Mandela was a man of incomparable honor, unconquerable strength, and unyielding resolve—a saint to many, a hero to all who treasure liberty, freedom and the dignity of humankind. As we remember his triumphs, let us, in his memory, not just reflect on how far we’ve come, but on how far we have to go. Madiba may no longer be with us, but his journey continues on with me and with all of us.

Nelson also made a lasting impression on former President Bill Clinton, who tweeted:

Nelson Mandela’s Inspirational Quotes

Nelson has said some of the most emotional and powerful quotes ever, inspiring people all over the world.

He once said, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

Another positive quote is, “There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

He has influenced an incredible number of lives and will be missed tremendously. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones at this time.

4½-year treason trial

The South African government continued to implement apartheid laws and intensify repression. In 1956, with the protest movement gaining strength, the government charged Mandela and 155 other leaders with treason and other charges.

Mandela led the defence in the 4½-year trial, using the courtroom to defend the ANC and the anti-apartheid cause.

While the trial dragged on, police attacked unarmed protesters in the Johannesburg suburb of Sharpeville in 1960. That sparked a new wave of protests, which led the government to ban the ANC and declare a national emergency. Mandela was again detained.

Finally, in March 1961, the judge acquitted all the defendants in the treason trial, finding there was insufficient evidence and that the ANC policy was non-violent.

During the trial years, Mandela's marriage to Evelyn "collapsed because of differences in politics," according to Mandela, and they divorced. (Evelyn died in 2004.) In 1958, he married Winnie Madikileza and became father to two more daughters.

Mandela goes underground

After the trial, Mandela went underground. In August 1962, Mandela was arrested and charged with helping organize a three-day general strike and leaving the country without a valid travel document.

Once again, Mandela used the courtroom to present his ideas of equality. He argued he could not receive a fair trial from a judicial system intended to enforce white supremacy. He was convicted on both charges and sentenced to five years in prison.

A police raid on the ANC underground headquarters in 1963 uncovered documents about an ANC guerrilla movement called Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), which Mandela had helped found in 1961. Umkonto claimed to have carried out more than 70 acts of sabotage against the government. Mandela was charged with treason and sabotage.

During the trial, Mandela declared from the dock, "I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society, in which all persons will live together in harmony, and with equal opportunities. It is an idea for which I hope to live and to see, but, my lord, if it need be, it is an idea for which I am prepared to die." He received a life sentence.

27 years in prison

Mandela spent 18 years in the Robben Island prison, in which time he was forced to quarry limestone, harvest seaweed and endure brutality from the guards.

In 1982, along with other imprisoned ANC leaders, he was transferred to Pollsmoor prison outside Capetown. He was hospitalized with tuberculosis in 1988, recovered and returned to prison.

During his years of imprisonment, Mandela had no contact with the outside world, except visits with Winnie.

In 1989, reformer F. W. de Klerk became leader of the governing party and then South African president. Mandela's release seemed imminent.

On Feb. 11, 1990, TV networks around the world broadcast Mandela's walk out of the prison gates to freedom.

Democratic South Africa's first president

In 1994, not only did Mandela vote for the first time, but he was also elected democratic South Africa's first president. The ANC received 63 per cent of the vote.

Many predicted bloodshed and feared the possibility of civil war, fuelled by those seeking retribution for years of apartheid policies. But Mandela oversaw a peaceful transition, embarking on a strategy of reconciliation and urging forgiveness for the perpetrators of past apartheid-era crimes.

He helped establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which sought to  record human rights violations from all sides of the apartheid struggle, but also had the power to grant amnesty to those who committed abuses.

For two years, Mandela headed a coalition government, with de Klerk as deputy president, until de Klerk and his party left the government.

In 1996, Nelson divorced Winnie and two years later married Graca Machel, the former first lady of Mozambique.

The new South Africa was not easy to govern. In addition to other challenges, the crime rate soared as Mandela's government worked to improve social conditions and rebuild the economy.

In 1999, at the completion of one term in office, Mandela stepped down as president, "an old man who wants to go into eternity with a smile on his face," he said.

International mediator

However, the "old man" kept up the pace, mediating peace talks in Burundi that year and the next year overseeing negotiations between Libya and the west concerning the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

In 2001, he visited Canada for the third time, becoming an honorary Canadian citizen.

The following year, he established 46664, a global HIV/AIDS campaign named for Mandela's prisoner number at Robben Island and famous for organizing benefit concerts around the world. (Mandela's son Makgatho died of AIDS in 2005.)

In 2003, he established the Mandela Rhodes Foundation to provide scholarships and mentoring for African youth.

While Mandela said in 2004 that he was officially retiring from public life, he nevertheless went on to initiate The Elders in 2007. This group of former global leaders focuses on peace building, securing the release of political prisoners, humanitarian relief and women's rights.