Current South African President Breaks Sad News, Remembers Mandela 

 

 

In a press conference streamed live on various news outlets, South African President Jacob Zuma announced the passing of famed and heralded anti-Apartheid leader and former South African President Nelson Mandela, a widely respected leader and national icon who spent nearly three decades in prison during his fight for equal rights in his home country.

“Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father,” Zuma said of Mandela, whom he affectionately referred to as Madiba, an honorary title adopted from his native clan.

“What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human,” Zuma went on to say, noting the leader’s vigilant fight against the harsh segregation that characterized South Africa for almost 50 years.

When released from prison in 1990, Mandela would go on to head the African National Congress, leading negotiations with then-South African President F. W. De Klerk to end apartheid and establish democratic elections in 1994.  As head of the ANC, Mandela would win the ’94 elections and become President of South Africa, further implementing constitutional changes that would lead South Africa to becoming a thriving democracy.

Mandela, who passed away at his home in Johannesburg, had been in and out of the hospital in recent months, with health scares becoming more and more frequent. He made his last public appearance when South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

For more visit CNN.