JOHANNESBURG
Foreign missions in South Africa, political parties, and ordinary citizens on Friday commemorated the 12th anniversary of the passing of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.
The European Union (EU) delegation to South Africa stated in a tribute that, while Mandela rests in peace, his legacy continues to impact and inspire people all over the world.
“Today, we pay tribute to his life and work. May his legacy continue to guide our actions,” the EU said in a brief statement posted on US social media company X.
The French Embassy in South Africa stated on X: “We pay tribute to an iconic freedom fighter who dedicated his life to the liberation of the South African people.” According to the post, Mandela is admired in France, where he visited a few months after being released from prison in 1990.
Then-French President Francois Mitterrand welcomed Mandela to Paris, and he later became the first Western leader to visit democratic South Africa.
The Russian Embassy in South Africa paid tribute to Mandela on his death anniversary, describing him as a global symbol of freedom.
“Russia honored him with a national day of mourning and President Vladimir Putin sent condolences noting historic USSR-ANC ties,” it said in a short statement on X.
Mandela, who became South Africa’s first democratically elected Black president in 1994, died on Dec. 5, 2013, at the age of 95 at his home in Johannesburg, following a long battle with a lung infection.
Many South Africans refer to him as the “Father of the Nation” after spending 27 years in prison for resisting the country’s white minority apartheid rule.
Mandela preached reconciliation and did not seek retribution against those who mistreated him while in prison.
Meanwhile, the Nelson Mandela Foundation has announced that more than 10,000 people will participate in a walk and run event in Pretoria to honor him.
“It’s an honor to stand here at the Nelson Mandela Foundation and to say thank you to Madiba for the inspiration he continues to provide for so many of us, in South Africa and around the world,” the foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Mbongiseni Buthelezi said in a video message.
The African National Congress (ANC), which Mandela once led, said in a statement that it observes this day with profound remembrance in honor of Mandela’s passing.
“Twelve years later, his absence is still felt across our land because Madiba represented the finest traditions of our movement, courage rooted in principle, humility born in struggle, and unshakable devotion to serve the people,” it said.
