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POINTERS
MOURNING MANDELA
HUFFINGTON
12.08.13
Former South African president and civil rights leader Nelson Mandela died on Thursday at 95. “Our
nation has lost its greatest son,” South African President Jacob Zuma said in a televised address.
Mandela served 27 years in prison for anti-apartheid activities and led his continent into a new era. He
was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to overthrow the government in 1964, and served his term
until 1990. That time in prison were transformative — Mandela went on to become the nation’s first
black president in 1994, and his government focused on dismantling apartheid. The civil rights leader
was known for his sense of humor, charisma and a lack of bitterness over his harsh treatment. His
health began to deteriorate in recent months as he battled a number of issues, including a recurring long
infection. Mandela retreated to his childhood home in the nation’s Eastern Cape Province, and he was
later moved to his home in Johannesburg, where he died. President Barack Obama on Thursday hailed
Mandela as “a man who took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice.”