The world has lost one of its greatest leaders of men. Nelson Mandela, the first president of South Africa and an international figure in world-peace activism, passed away at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg on December 5th, after losing a long battle with lung disease. He was 95 years old.
Mandela is best known for leading the fight against apartheid in South Africa. A victim of the country’s brutal racial politics, Mandela was wrongfully imprisoned for 27 years following the infamous Rivonia Trials. After his release from prison, he became the celebrated face of equality, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his role in ending apartheid in South Africa. Mandela went on to win the presidency, and helped lead the country out of its dark past and into a brighter future.
After one term as president, Mandela worked with world leaders and other public figures on various social crises. He was a key voice in brokering a peace deal in Rwanda in 1994, established the 46664AIDS Fundraising Foundation, and set up the Mandela-Rhodes Foundation, an educational scholarship program.
Mandela had suffered health issues for years, starting with a battle with prostate cancer in 2001 — which he won — only to fall sick with the first of many respiratory infections in 2011. After several hospitalizations and a few surgeries, Mandela’s health took a turn for the worse this past summer, when he was placed on life-support for a period of time before being discharged to spend what would be his final months alive at home.
Mandela was said to have been with his wife and family at the time of his death, though it really wouldn’t matter where he passed away — a man of that stature is always amongst those that love and care for him.
