Nelson Mandela is Dead.
At the London premiere last night of the new film on Mandela, it was announced over the closing credits that he’d died.
Nelson Mandela died today at the age of 95, according to South African President Jacob Zuma. His death marks the final chapter in a life that changed South Africa forever.
The former South African president had been suffering from a recurring lung infection, and the Daily Telegraph reports that his friends and family had gathered at his bed today. Zuma announced his death in a televised address to the nation.
Mandela’s struggle was one of the defining stories of the 20th century. Trained as a lawyer, he became involved in politics after 1948 as South Africa moved into a system of racial apartheid. While initially espousing non-violent protests with the African National Congress (ANC), he eventually founded a militant organization and was behind a bombing campaign in the early 1960s. He was arrested and sentenced to life in prison in 1962.
Initially imprisoned in a 8 feet by 7 feet concrete cell with only a straw mat on which to sleep, Mandela’s imprisonment soon became an international cause. He was eventually released on 2 February 1990 after intervention by President F. W. de Klerk.
The plans for his State Funeral and other events is as follows:
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