Nelson Mandela, former South African president and anti-apartheid hero, has died, HLN has learned. He was 95.
"Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father," said South African President Jacob Zuma.
President Obama said Thursday that he couldn't imagine his own life without Mandela's example.
"We have lost one of the most influential, courageous, profoundly
good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth," he
said.
Mandela had been treated by doctors at his home in Houghton, a suburb
of Johannesburg. On September 1, 2013, he was discharged from a
Pretoria hospital where he had been receiving treatment since June for a
lung infection.
In June 1964, Mandela was sentenced to life in prison for carrying
out acts of sabotage. While in prison, Mandela fought to end apartheid,
the country’s system of racial segregation.
In February 1990, then-South Africa President Frederik de Klerk
ordered Mandela’s release. Mandela and de Klerk received the 1993 Nobel
Peace Prize for their efforts in ending apartheid and laying the
groundwork for a democratic South Africa.
A year later, Mandela became South Africa’s first black president.
After his presidency, Mandela focused on several worldwide causes,
including the battle against AIDS/HIV. His efforts reverberated around
the world, and Mandela was bestowed with countless honors, including the
2002 Presidential Medal of Freedom.