The Great Madiba Goes Home !

After months of battling old-age-related disease, South Africa's first black president and anti-apartheid icon, Nelson Mandela, passed on Thursday. Mandela, 95, led South Africa's transition from white-minority rule in the 1990s, after 27 years in prison. He had been receiving intense home-based medical care for a lung infection after three months in hospital. In a statement on South African national television, South African President Jacob Zuma said Mandela had "departed" and was at peace. "Our nation has lost its greatest son," Zuma said. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was one of the world's most revered statesmen, after preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years. He had rarely been seen in public since he officially retired in 2004. "What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves," Zuma said. "Fellow South Africans, Nelson Mandela brought us together and it is together that we will bid him farewell," he added. Earlier yesterday, there appeared to have been an unusually large family gathering. Among those attending was family elder, Bantu Holomisa. A number of government vehicles were there during the evening as well. According to AFP report, two of Mandela's granddaughters and a close family friend, Bantu Holomisa, were among those seen entering the house, which was flanked by more than a dozen cars ferrying visitors and military personnel. The reason for the large-than-usual gathering was not made public, but it came shortly after Mandela's daughter, Makaziwe, described her father as fighting from his "deathbed," but still being "very strong" and "very courageous". "Even when there are moments when you can see he's struggling, but the fighting spirit is still there with him," she said earlier this week. Mandela has been receiving around the clock intensive care from military and other doctors since September, when he was discharged from a nearly three-month hospital stay for a lung infection. His grandson, Ndaba, recently told a local broadcaster that Mandela was "not doing well at home in bed". He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected South Africa's first black president in 1994. He stepped down after five years in office. From prisoner to global peace icon He was a global cause celebre during the long apartheid years, and popular pressure led world leaders to tighten sanctions imposed on South Africa’s racist white minority regime. In 1988 at a concert in Wembley stadium in London, tens of thousands sang “Free Nelson Mandela” as millions more watched on their television sets across the world. Born in July 1918 in the southeastern Transkei region, Mandela carved out a career as a lawyer in Johannesburg in parallel with his political activism. He became commander-in-chief of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the armed wing of the by now-banned ANC, in 1961, and the following year underwent military training in Algeria and Ethiopia. While underground back home in South Africa, Mandela was captured by police in 1962 and sentenced to five years in prison. He was then charged with sabotage and sentenced in 1964 to life in prison at the Rivonia trial, named after a Johannesburg suburb where a number of ANC leaders were arrested. He used the court hearing to deliver a speech that was to become the manifesto of the anti-apartheid movement. “During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society. It is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Late Mandela’s spirit lives on - Jonathan President Goodluck Jonathan last night said he was immensely saddened by the death of freedom fighter and former South African President, Nelson Mandela, saying his spirit lives on to inspire oppressed people all over the world. Special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati noted in a statement that Jonathan who quickly scribbled a condolence message to President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, conveyed the sympathy and solidarity of the Federal Government and people of Nigeria to him and all South Africans as they mourn Dr. Mandela. Abati also quoted Jonathan as saying that, “I write to commiserate with you, the Government and people of South Africa and the family of Dr. Nelson Mandela on the death of one of the greatest sons of Africa. Although it has come at the advanced age of 95, Madiba’s death will create a huge vacuum that will be difficult to fill in our continent. “He will be sorely missed by all who cherish love, peace and freedom the world over and will be eternally honoured for his immense contribution to the dismantling of the apartheid policy, one of the world’s most obnoxious systems whose under-pining philosophy was the degradation of man by man. Mandela symbol of freedom - Obama President Obama praised Nelson Mandela on Thursday, saying the former South African leader symbolized the fight for freedom and dignity throughout the world. “He achieved more than can be expected of any one man,” said the nation’s first African-American president. Mandela now “belongs to the ages,” Obama said at the White House within an hour of the announcement of Mandela’s death. In a statement on Mandela’s 95th birthday in July, the president and first lady Michelle Obama send best wishes to the former South African president, and said his life has inspired millions. “May Nelson Mandela’s life of service to others and his unwavering commitment to equality, reconciliation, and human dignity continue to be a beacon for each future generation seeking a more just and prosperous world,” the Obamas said. Mandela a giant of justice – Ban Ki-moon Reaction continues to pour in, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calling Mandela “a giant for justice” and the French Foreign Minister saluting him as “a charismatic giant”. Irish prime minister Enda Kenny paid tribute to the “gift” of Mandela, and offered the country’s deepest sympathies to the people of South Africa. “The name Mandela stirred our conscience and our hearts. It became synonymous with the pursuit of dignity and freedom across the globe,” he said in a statement. British Prime Minister David Cameron said “a great light had gone out” following Nelson Mandela’s death, revealing that flags would be flown at half-mast at his Downing Street Office.