Nelson mandela dies at 95

Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest leaders
of modern times, passed away Thursday at
his home in Johannesburg. He was 95.
South African President Jacob Zuma
announced that Mandela, “the founding
president of our democratic nation, has
departed,” adding that he “passed on
peacefully.”
“Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our
people have lost a father,” Zuma said.
Mandela will be accorded a state funeral,
Zuma said, and national flags will be lowered
to half mast.
Mandela’s respiratory problems in recent
years may be connected to his imprisonment,
when he contracted tuberculosis after
working in a prison quarry. He had been in
hospital in recent months.
His hospitalization on June 8, 2013, marked
his fifth visit to hospital in two years. In April
2013, he spent 10 days in hospital after
being treated for pneumonia.
Mandela was a prominent international figure
for more than half a century, first as a
leading human rights campaigner in South
Africa and then as the world’s best-known
political prisoner.
Following his release, he again became the
leader of the anti-apartheid struggle, and in
1994 became the first president of a
democratic South Africa.
On July 18, 2009, the first Mandela Day
declared by the United Nations, UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke about
how “Nelson Mandela has made a lasting
imprint on our lives.”