Anti-apartheid hero and former South Africa president Nelson Mandela dies at 95 The icon of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle Nelson Mandela, 95, died on Dec 05, 2013.
His death saw mass mourning globally. He had spent most of the year being in hospital for his illness which also prevented a meeting with US president Barack Obama when he visited South Africa in summer.
Obama made a sombre appearance in White House on Thursday and mourned the death of the timeless icon.
Both are Nobel Peace Prize laureates and share the distinction of being elected to lead their nations as first black president. In his mourning speech, the US president said that Mandela belongs to the ages and he is one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela’s life.
He continued that he cannot imagine his own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set. He is most likely to travel to South Africa for Mandela’s funeral.
Hundreds of South Africans were seen outside the Mandela home in Johannesburg on Friday waving flags and singing anti-apartheid era songs. Crowd was also seen outside the South African embassy in Washington near a statue of Nelson Mandela.
South African President Jacob Zuma announced that Mandela will receive a full five-day state mourning and ordered the flags to remain at half-mast until after the burial. National flags were also lowered in United States and France also.