Nelson Mandela - Rest In Peace, Madiba

World revered South African anti-apartheid icon, Nelson Mandela who spent 27 years in prison, led his country to democracy and became its first black president, has died. He was 95. Mandela died of a lung infection on 5 December 2013 at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg, surrounded by his family.

Jacob Zuma, president of South Africa lamented, "Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father. Wherever we are in the country, wherever we are in the world, let us reaffirm his vision of a society in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed by another."

US president Barrack Obama said his first political action was an anti-apartheid protest inspired by Mandela, who "achieved more than could be expected of any man."

Mandela was a towering figure with enormous moral influence the world over. His life symbolized revolution, resistance and triumph over racial segregation and inspired a generation of activists and world leaders toward the path on which to build society based on the tenets of freedom, equality and peace for all. He won the Nobel Peace Prize and raised millions for humanitarian causes. Yet he held power as the first black president of South Africa for only 5 years, from 1994 to 1999.

Mandela was the first elected president in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. The key element behind the reconciliation programme was the call to all black South Africans exploited and impoverished by the white government to forgive their former oppressors. There was to be no room for hate, anger and vengeance in the new democratic state.

"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion," he wrote in his Long Walk to Freedom. "People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." Upon his release from prison, Mandela said that he knew he had to leave his anger and animosity behind because if he didn't, he would still be in prison.

Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Denounced as a Marxist terrorist by critics, he nevertheless gained international acclaim for his activism, having received more than 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Soviet Order of Lenin. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba, or as Tata ("Father"); he is often described as "the father of the nation".

And now, Madiba, as you rest in peace, please know that you have achieved what very few have achieved - immortality.