Amaechi remembers ‘a legend’

The Chairman of the Governors Forum and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi said this morning of the late Nelson Mandela: “He was a legend. A true African hero. He led the fight against apartheid that brought democracy to South Africa.
“As President, he led South Africa extremely well and became a symbol of good and exemplary leadership in Africa and beyond.
“History will always remember Madiba, he became the symbol of hope for all. Indeed the world has lost a fine, great and wonderful person. Humanity has lost one of its finest.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family, the government and people of South Africa. The world has lost a hero. Adieu Madiba.”
Source: The Nation

Cameron, Miliband: he was a hero

United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to Mandela yesterday.
He said: “A great light has gone out in the world. Nelson Mandela was a hero of our time.”
The flag above Downing Street is flying at half-mast as a mark of respect.
Labour leader Ed Miliband tweeted the world had “lost the global hero of our age” while Prince William said the news was “extremely sad and tragic”.
He added: “Nelson Mandela showed us the true meaning of courage, hope, and reconciliation.”
Speaking outside Downing Street, the prime minister said: “Meeting him was one of the great honours of my life.
“My heart goes out to his family – and to all in South Africa and around the world whose lives were changed through his courage.”
“We were just reminded of what an extraordinary and inspiring man Nelson Mandela was and my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family right now”

Ban Ki-moon expresses profound sadness

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his profound sadness at the passing of Nelson Mandela, extolling the life of the late human rights lawyer, prisoner of conscience, international peacemaker and first democratically-elected President of post-apartheid South Africa as an inspiration for all.
‘Madiba,’ as Mr. Mandela was affectionately known, passed on this afternoon at his home in Johannesburg. He was 95.
“Nelson Mandela was a giant for justice and a down-to-earth human inspiration,” Mr. Ban said at UN Headquarters in New York.
“On behalf of the United Nations, I extend my deepest condolences to the people of South Africa and especially to Nelson Mandela’s family, and indeed our global family.”
Mr. Ban noted that many people worldwide were greatly influenced by Mr. Mandela’s selfless struggle for human dignity, equality and freedom. “He touched our lives in deeply personal ways. At the same time, no one did more in our time to advance the values and aspirations of the United Nations.”
“Nelson Mandela showed what is possible for our world and within each one of us – if we believe, dream and work together for justice and humanity,” said the Secretary-General.
“His moral force was decisive in dismantling the system of apartheid,” said Mr. Ki-moon “Remarkably, he emerged from 27 years of detention without rancour, determined to build a new South Africa based on dialogue and reconciliation.”
Mr. Mandela devoted his life to the service of his people and humanity, and he did so at great personal sacrifice, said the Secretary-General, who said he was moved by the late leader’s “selflessness and deep sense of shared purpose” when the two men met in 2009.
“Let us continue each day to be inspired by his lifelong example and his call to never cease working for a better and more just world.”
Recalling his memories of meeting Mr. Mandela, the Secretary-General said he had been deeply touched and inspired. “When I praised him for his lifelong contribution to end apartheid he said ‘It is not only me, but hundreds and hundreds of known and unknown people that contributed.’ That has stuck with me ever since.”
Source:The Nation

Tinubu: end of an era

ALL Progressives Congress (APC) National leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu reacted this morning to the death of former South African President Nelson Mandela:
The former Lagos governor said: “Mandela’s death signals the end of an era of the generation of African leaders who never coveted power, but used power for the good of the greater number of their people. Africa has indeed lost an Icon, a formidable figure, a man of character and conviction and a political leader unequalled in the history of Africa. His demise is a great loss to Africa. I extend my sympathy to the government and people of South Africa and to the wife and family of Nelson Mandela.”
Tinubu went on: “He represented the moral compass in African leadership and the reference point for transparency and good governance. For long, his compelling story of struggle, prison life and journey to power will remain a classic and a tonic for others that may come after him. The Mandela story will forever resonate across the world and though retold over and over, will never lose its effect and power.
“Mandela demonstrated to the world that the black man is of a higher conscience, strong conviction and brilliance, compassionate and able to master his destiny. That is part of what Mandela represented. He made us proud as Africans. He led and showed us the way. He challenged us to heed the higher calling of selfless service. But much more, he boosted the African spirit and carved a new reputation for Africa in the global world.
“Mandela left a legacy of quality leadership, selfless service and sacrifice and a people centred governance. His legacy will endure. From his life, other African leaders are challenged to do right by their people and submit to democratic ideals. Sadly, we have seen more African leaders jettison or depart from the Mandela option. Many of them have become sit tight leaders, while others amongst them have sought by dubious constitutional processes to elongate their stay in power. They celebrate Mandela, but lack the discipline and morale fortitude of Mandela. They stand in the way of their people progressing and make Africa a laughing stock.
Let his death revive us to the ideals of democracy. Let his political legacy, commitment to his people and the examples he left behind challenge us all to a renewed commitment to make our country and Africa better for the greatest number of her citizens.
Source:The Nation

President Jonathan on the death of Mandela

IN a message on twitter, President Goodluck Jonathan said of the late Nelson Mandela: “Mandela’s indefatigable spirit will continue to inspire present and future generations of Africans.”

Desmond Tutu: a colossus is gone

Nelson Mandela is mourned by South Africans, Africans and the international community today as the leader of our generation who stood head and shoulders above his contemporaries — a colossus of unimpeachable moral character and integrity, the world’s most admired and revered public figure.
Not since Kenyatta, Nkrumah, Nyerere and Senghor has Africa seen his like. Looking for comparisons beyond Africa, he will go down in history as South Africa’s George Washington, a person who within a five-year presidency became the principal icon of both liberation and reconciliation, loved by those of all political persuasions as the founder of modern, democratic South Africa.
He was of course not always regarded as such. When he was born in 1918 in the rural village of Mvezo, he was named Rolihlahla, or “troublemaker.” (Nelson was the name given to him by a teacher when he started school.) After running away to Johannesburg to escape an arranged marriage, he lived up to his name. Introduced to politics by his mentor, Walter Sisulu, he joined a group of young militants who challenged the cautious elders of the African National Congress, founded by black leaders in 1912 to oppose the racist policies of the newly-formed union of white-ruled British colonies and Afrikaner republics.
After the Afrikaner Nationalists came to power in 1948, intent on entrenching and expanding the dispossession of blacks, confrontation became inevitable. As the new government relentlessly implemented one racist, repressive law after another, the ANC intensified its resistance until its ban in 1960, when it decided that, having exhausted all peaceful means of achieving democracy, it had no option but to resort to the use of force.
Madiba, the clan name by which South Africans refer to Nelson Mandela, went underground, then left the country to look for support for the struggle. He received it in many parts of Africa — undergoing military training in Ethiopia — but he failed to get meaningful support in the West.
Upon his return to South Africa, he was arrested by the police and first imprisoned for inciting strikes and leaving the country illegally. Two years later he was brought from prison to face charges, along with other leaders, of preparing for guerrilla warfare. At the end of the trial, they were all sentenced to life imprisonment.
In 1964, Madiba was sent to Robben Island prison off the coast of Cape Town as a militant guerilla leader, the commander-in-chief of the military wing of the ANC, Umkhonto weSizwe, committed to overthrowing apartheid by force. When he emerged from prison in 1990, his eyes damaged by the blindingly-bright limestone quarries in which prisoners had been forced to crush rock, and having contracted tuberculosis as a result of prison conditions, he might have been expected to come out hell-bent on revenge and retribution. White South Africans certainly feared so. On the other side of the political spectrum, some of his supporters feared that after campaigners had lionised his role in the struggle, he might turn out to have feet of clay and be unable to live up to his reputation.
None of this would turn out to be so. Suffering can embitter its victims, but equally it can ennoble the sufferer. In Madiba’s case, the 27 years in jail was not wasted. Firstly it gave him an authority and a credibility difficult to attain in other ways. No one could challenge his credentials. He had proved his commitment, his selflessness through what he had undergone. Secondly, the crucible of excruciating suffering which he had endured purged the dross, the anger, the temptation to any desire for revenge, honing his spirit and transforming him into an icon of magnanimity. He used his enormous moral stature to good effect in persuading his party and many in the black community, especially young people, that accommodation and compromise were the way to achieve our goal of democracy and justice for all.
Cliton mourns
FORMER United States President Bill Clinton said last night of the late Nelson Mandela:
“Nelson Mandela taught us so much about so many things. Perhaps the greatest lesson, especially for young people, is that, while bad things do happen to good people, we still have the freedom and responsibility to decide how to respond to injustice, cruelty and violence and how they will affect our spirits, hearts and minds.
Mandela’s enduring legacy is that, under a crushing burden of oppression he saw through differences, discrimination and destruction to embrace our common humanity.
Source:The Nation

Obama: we won’t likely see the like of him again

Nelson Mandela now “belongs to the ages,” President Barack Obama said last night in mourning the late South African leader and icon.
“We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again,” he said as he talked about how the political powerhouse inspired him.
“He no longer belongs to us; he belongs to the ages,” Obama said in brief remarks at the White House.
“We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela ever again,” the president said. “So it falls to us, as best we can, to carry forward the example that he set.”
Obama paid tribute to Mandela shortly after the South African government announced the former president’s passing at the age of 95. Obama paid tribute to Mandela in personal terms, noting that his first political action was a protest of South Africa’s apartheid policies.
“I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela’s life,” Obama said. “Like so many around the globe, I cannot imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set.”
He added: “So long as I live, I will do whatever I can to learn from him.”
Source:The Nation

Zuma: our nation has lost its greatest son

Text of South African President Jacob Zuma’s speech announcing Mandela’s death
My Fellow South Africans, Our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding President of our democratic nation, has departed.
He passed on peacefully in the company of his family around 20h50 on the 5th of December 2013.
He is now resting. He is now at peace.
Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father.
Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss.
His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world.
His humility, his compassion, and his humanity earned him their love. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mandela family. To them we owe a debt of gratitude.
They have sacrificed much and endured much so that our people could be free.
Our thoughts are with his wife Mrs Graca Machel, his former wife Ms Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, with his children, his grand-children, his great grand-children and the entire family.
Our thoughts are with his friends, comrades and colleagues who fought alongside Madiba over the course of a lifetime of struggle.
Our thoughts are with the South African people who today mourn the loss of the one person who, more than any other, came to embody their sense of a common nationhood.
Our thoughts are with the millions of people across the world who embraced Madiba as their own, and who saw his cause as their cause.
This is the moment of our deepest sorrow.
Our nation has lost its greatest son.
Yet, what made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves.
And in him we saw so much of ourselves.
Fellow South Africans,
Nelson Mandela brought us together, and it is together that we will bid him farewell.
Our beloved Madiba will be accorded a State Funeral.
I have ordered that all flags of the Republic of South Africa be lowered to half-mast from tomorrow, 6 December, and to remain at half-mast until after the funeral.
As we gather to pay our last respects, let us conduct ourselves with the dignity and respect that Madiba personified.
Let us be mindful of his wishes and the wishes of his family.
As we gather, wherever we are in the country and wherever we are in the world, let us recall the values for which Madiba fought.
Let us reaffirm his vision of a society in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed by another.
Let us commit ourselves to strive together – sparing neither strength nor courage – to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.
Let us express, each in our own way, the deep gratitude we feel for a life spent in service of the people of this country and in the cause of humanity.
This is indeed the moment of our deepest sorrow.
Yet it must also be the moment of our greatest determination.
A determination to live as Madiba has lived, to strive as Madiba has strived and to not rest until we have realised his vision of a truly united South Africa, a peaceful and prosperous Africa, and a better world.
We will always love you Madiba!
May your soul rest in peace.
God Bless Africa.
Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika.”
Source:The Nation

Ex-South African president and anti-apartheid hero dies at 95

Nelson Mandela, the revered icon of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and one of the towering political figures of the 20th century is dead. He was 95.
Mandela, who was elected South Africa’s first black president after spending nearly three decades in prison, had been receiving treatment for a lung infection at his Johannesburg home since September, after three months in hospital in a critical state.
His condition deteriorated and he died following complications from the lung infection, with his family by his side.
The news was announced by an emotional South African president Jacob Zuma live on television, who said Mandela had “departed” and was at peace.
“Our nation has lost its greatest son,” said Zuma.
“What made Nelson Mandela great is precisely what made him human,” he said.
Mandela, once a boxer, had a long history of lung problems after contracting tuberculosis while in jail on Robben Island.
His extraordinary life story, quirky sense of humour and lack of bitterness towards his former oppressors ensured global appeal for the charismatic leader.
Once considered a terrorist by the United States and Britain for his support of violence against the apartheid regime, at the time of his death he was an almost unimpeachable moral icon.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner spent 27 years behind bars before being freed in 1990 to lead the African National Congress (ANC) in negotiations with the white minority rulers which culminated in the first multi-racial elections in 1994.
A victorious Mandela served a term as president before taking up a new role as a roving elder statesman and leading AIDS campaigner before finally retiring from public life in 2004.
“When he emerged from prison people discovered that he was all the things they had hoped for and more,” fellow Nobel Peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said.
“He is by far the most admired and revered statesperson in the world and one of the greatest human beings to walk this earth.”
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 arrested 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.”
He was first sent to prison on Robben Island, where he spent 18 years before being transferred in 1982 to Pollsmoor prison in Cape Town and later to Victor Verster prison in nearby Paarl.
When he was finally released on February 11, 1990, walking out of prison with his fist raised alongside his then-wife Winnie.
Ex-prisoner 46664 was entrusted with the task of persuading the new president F.W. de Klerk to call time on the era of racist white minority rule.
Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their role in the ending of apartheid.
Derived from the Afrikaans word for “apartness,” apartheid was a brutally enforced system that discriminated politically and economically against “non-whites” and separated the races in schools, buses, housing and even public toilets and beaches.
After the ANC won the first multi-racial elections, Mandela went out of his way to assuage the fears of the white minority, declaring his intention to establish “a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.”
Critics said his five-year presidency was marred by corruption and rising levels of crime. But his successors, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, have never enjoyed anywhere near the same levels of respect or affection.
At our best, ‘we’d like to be him’: Clinton
In retirement, he focused his efforts on mediating conflicts, most notably in Burundi, as well as trying to raise awareness and abolish the taboos surrounding AIDS, which claimed the life of his son Makgatho.
His divorce from second wife Winnie was finalised in 1996.
He found new love in retirement with Graca Machel, the widow of the late Mozambican president Samora Machel, whom he married on his 80th birthday.
In one of his last foreign policy interventions, he issued a searing rebuke of George W. Bush on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, calling him “a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust”.
Bush’s predecessor Bill Clinton perhaps had a higher opinion of Mandela.
“Every time Nelson Mandela walks in a room we all feel a little bigger, we all want to stand up, we all want to cheer, because we’d like to be him on our best day,” he said.
Mandela is survived by three daughters, 18 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and three step-grandchildren. He had four step-children through his marriage to Machel.
His death has left his family divided over his wealth. Some of his children and grandchildren are locked in a legal feud with his close friends over alleged irregularities in his two companies.
Source:The Nation