South Africa Marks Anniversary Of Nelson Mandela’s Death

Friends and family of Nelson Mandela laid wreaths on Friday at a bronze statue of the late statesman to mark the anniversary of his death. Associated Press was there:

Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, recalled the former president’s last moments, saying he was at peace and surrounded by family. Mandela died last Dec. 5 after a long illness at the age of 95.

“My singular privilege was to be the shoulder he would lean on in the sunset of his life,” said Machel.
Mandela spent 27 years in prison under South Africa’s segregationist apartheid regime. As international awareness of South Africa’s racial discrimination grew, Mandela became one of the world’s most famous prisoners.
After his release in 1990, Mandela went on to win the presidency in the country’s first all-race election in 1994. He was awarded the Nobel prize, along with former South African President Frederick W. de Klerk, for negotiating the end of white minority rule.