Nelson Mandela dies

Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela passed away on December 6th.
Mandela who was ailing for sometime on and off was 95 years old.

Nelson Mandela was born in the Eastern province of Cape in South Africa in the year 1918. He joined the National Congress in 1944. Mandela was involved in the struggles that took place over the Apartheid issue and for this very reason he was imprisoned for 27 years. He was found to be suffering from tuberculosis during the period when he was imprisoned in the Roben islands close to Cape of Good Hope in 1980 and Mandela who was later released from prison said that he began to suffer from the disease because of dampness in the cell where he was confined. He was released from prison in the year 1990. Subsequently he managed to be victorious with regard to the Apartheid conflict and thus gain freedom for Africa. He was awarded the Nobel prize in 1993.

Mandela became the first dark-skinned President in 1994, setting an exemplary lesson to the entire world.

However, in 1990 he gave up his party leadership and also retired from public service in 2004. It is understood that he would appear in public only occasionally.

Not only in South Africa but even on an international level Mandela was a symbol of freedom and equality. The honour bestowed on Mandela by the elders of his clan in South Africa is known as Madiba.

It is said that it was Mahatma Gandhi whom Nelson Mandela personified as an example in his life as a distinguished character.