New Delhi: South African former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate upset Nelson Mandela died “peacefully” on Thursday night at the age of 95 at his home in Johannesburg, surrounded by family, according to South African President Jacob Zuma.
The world had lost “one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth”, said US President Barack Obama. Nelson Mandela “a hero of our time” and “a great light has gone out in the world, said British PM David Cameron.
PM Manmohan Singh said that this is as much India’s loss as South Africa’s. He was a true Gandhian. His life and work will remain a source of eternal inspiration for generations to come. I join all those who are praying for his soul.
A somber Zuma made a national broadcast to announce the death of South Africa’s first black president, who emerged from 27 years in apartheid prisons to help guide Africa’s biggest economy through bloodshed and turmoil to democracy and Fellow South Africans, our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding president of our democratic nation, has departed.
Zuma said in the nationally televised address, our people have lost a father. Although we knew this day was going to come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss. His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world. His humility, passion and humanity, earned him their love.
Bureau Report
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