:00:16. > :00:22.We will report on his remarkable life from prisoner to president,
:00:23. > :00:28.from freedom fighter to local statesman. President Zuma has made
:00:29. > :00:38.this announcement. Our beloved Nelson Mandela, the founding
:00:39. > :00:42.president of our democratic nation has departed. He'd become
:00:43. > :00:47.increasingly frail in recent years and died at home in Johannesburg,
:00:48. > :00:51.surrounded by close family members. We've lost one of the most
:00:52. > :00:57.influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that
:00:58. > :01:03.any of us will share time with on this earth. He no longer belongs to
:01:04. > :01:11.us. He belongs to the ages. Tonight, one of the brightest lights of our
:01:12. > :01:17.world has gone out. He spent three decades in jail, an enemy of the
:01:18. > :01:25.apartheid regime and a determined fighter for democracy. There's Mr
:01:26. > :01:30.Nelson Mandela, a free man, taking his first steps into a new South
:01:31. > :01:38.Africa. His long walk to freedom was celebrated worldwide. He became one
:01:39. > :01:42.of the towering figures of the past century. His election as South
:01:43. > :01:49.Africa's first black president brought a spirit of reconciliation
:01:50. > :01:57.after all the pain of apartheid. Never and never again shall it be
:01:58. > :02:05.that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by
:02:06. > :02:09.another. Good evening. The former South African president, Nelson
:02:10. > :02:14.Mandela, has died at home at the age of 95. Mr Mandela spent nearly three
:02:15. > :02:20.decades in prison, fighting for equality and in 1994, South Africa
:02:21. > :02:24.held its first multiethnic, fully representative elections and he
:02:25. > :02:28.became president. The former antiapartheid leader, who led the
:02:29. > :02:32.struggle against white minority rule had been suffering from a recurrence
:02:33. > :02:36.of a lung infection, was taken to hospital in Pretoria at the
:02:37. > :02:39.beginning of June. It was the third time this year that he had needed
:02:40. > :02:43.hospital treatment. He had been receiving treatment at home after
:02:44. > :02:54.that. His death was announced by the South African president, Jacob Zuma.
:02:55. > :03:03.Fellow South Africans, our beloved Nelson Mandela, the founding
:03:04. > :03:14.president of our democratic nation has departed. He passed on
:03:15. > :03:30.peacefully in the company of his family around 20. 50, on the 5th of
:03:31. > :03:43.December, 2013. He is now resting. He is now at peace. Our nation has
:03:44. > :03:51.lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father. Jacob Zuma make
:03:52. > :03:56.being the announcement just over an hour ago of the death of President
:03:57. > :04:00.Mandela, at the age of 95 and underlining his immense contribution
:04:01. > :04:06.to the people of South Africa and indeed, his status as a towering
:04:07. > :04:10.figure during the Twentieth Century Anderson emblem of freedom and
:04:11. > :04:15.justice throughout the world. Our correspondent is in Johannesburg and
:04:16. > :04:19.Gabriel can tell us more about the tributes being paid in the past
:04:20. > :04:25.hour. Yes, well we've seen tributes coming
:04:26. > :04:31.not only from Jacob Zuma, as you heard there, but also from around
:04:32. > :04:37.the world. David Cameron, Barack Obama, everywhere you can think of,
:04:38. > :04:41.people are talking about the symbol of justice that Nelson Mandela meant
:04:42. > :04:46.to the world. Looking a little bit closer at Jacob Zuma's statement, I
:04:47. > :04:53.think some of the key words to pick out there are "a sense of profound
:04:54. > :04:58.and enduring loss, that South Africa had lost its greatest son and that
:04:59. > :05:01.our people have lost a father." He's known as Nelson Mandela to the world
:05:02. > :05:08.but here in South Africa, he's often known by his tribal name Madiba or
:05:09. > :05:15.simply Tata, father. Jacob Zuma went on to say, "in him we saw so much of
:05:16. > :05:18.ourselves". That's a key thing here at this moment in South Africa, that
:05:19. > :05:25.is what people are mourning. They feel like a part of themselves, part
:05:26. > :05:29.of this nation, has left them. They identified Nelson Mandela in a
:05:30. > :05:35.sense, as the emblem of their better selves, of everything they wanted to
:05:36. > :05:39.achieve. Jacob Zuma said - let us reaffirm his vision of a society in
:05:40. > :05:45.which no-one is exploited or oppressed, to build a united and
:05:46. > :05:50.nonracial and prosperous South Africa. In the coming days, we will
:05:51. > :05:55.see South Africans gathering in cities and towns and villages to
:05:56. > :05:59.mark the respect with which they hold Nelson Mandela, for achieving
:06:00. > :06:03.everything that he did achieve in a peaceful, relatively peaceful
:06:04. > :06:09.transition from apartheid to democracy, but also, recognising, I
:06:10. > :06:13.think, in the coming days, how much distance this country still has to
:06:14. > :06:18.travel to achieve that vision. As you speak, we've been seeing images
:06:19. > :06:21.of people at the Mandela residence in Johannesburg. Really telling us
:06:22. > :06:25.something about a fusion of emotions, there'll be an outpouring
:06:26. > :06:30.of grief, clearly, for many millions of people, but there is a mood of
:06:31. > :06:34.celebration in one sense, celebrating all the remarkable
:06:35. > :06:41.things that this man achieved. I think that's right. Mixed emotions.
:06:42. > :06:45.People are sad. People feel that profound sense of loss, but Nelson
:06:46. > :06:50.Mandela is a symbol of hope and people will indeed be coming
:06:51. > :06:54.together to remember that, to remember him as an emblem, not just,
:06:55. > :06:59.a fighter against oppression, but as a man who could forgive, who could
:07:00. > :07:03.bring this country together against so many odds. I think what we've
:07:04. > :07:07.seen, in fact, in the last six months, ever since Mr Mandela went
:07:08. > :07:12.into hospital in June, and we were told that it was very, very serious,
:07:13. > :07:17.people beginning to prepare for this moment and beginning to begin to be
:07:18. > :07:21.able to believe it, in a sense. Even though South Africans have had six
:07:22. > :07:25.months to prepare themselves, you still constantly heard this hope
:07:26. > :07:30.against hope that he might just carry on. The word "fighter" was
:07:31. > :07:34.constantly used. Indeed, two days ago, on Tuesday, Nelson Mandela's
:07:35. > :07:39.eldest daughter said that while she could see that her father was
:07:40. > :07:44.suffering, on what she called his death bed, she said he continued to
:07:45. > :07:49.inspire, continued to fight courageously, she said he continues
:07:50. > :07:51.to teach us lessons. Thank you for now.
:07:52. > :07:56.Remarkable scenes in Johannesburg because we have dancing and singing,
:07:57. > :08:00.all of it dignified, of course, as you'd expect and really a show of
:08:01. > :08:05.admiration and respect in the way that people want to share their
:08:06. > :08:10.feelings and share their love for Mr Mandela. And to show that they're
:08:11. > :08:14.there with the family too. Very nice scenes for us to be able to see,
:08:15. > :08:17.these are the live images from Johannesburg now.
:08:18. > :08:25.I do believe that we're joined on the line by the former South African
:08:26. > :08:29.president FWDeKlerk. Good evening. Good evening. Thank you so much for
:08:30. > :08:34.joining us on such a momentous day. Can I ask you your thoughts now that
:08:35. > :08:39.you've heard the news of Mr Mandela's passing. It's a very sad
:08:40. > :08:42.moment for the whole of South African and I'm -- South Africa and
:08:43. > :08:50.I'm sure for millions of people around the world. I fully associate
:08:51. > :08:55.myself with the dignified and feeling statement which President
:08:56. > :09:05.Zuma made. I've become good friends with the late Nelson Mandela. We had
:09:06. > :09:11.our moments of political opponents, but our retirement and at times,
:09:12. > :09:20.during his presidency, we became very close. He's a remarkable man.
:09:21. > :09:26.He was a remarkable man. Because legacy will be the emphasis on
:09:27. > :09:32.reconciliation. He's a remarkable lack of bit Ernst. He -- bitterness.
:09:33. > :09:38.He didn't only talk about reconciliation. He lived
:09:39. > :09:43.reconciliation. He was a great union firing. -- unifier. Mr President, I
:09:44. > :09:48.hope you can still hear me. Are you still there? I'm still here. Can you
:09:49. > :09:51.hear me? Yes, we can. Very happy to hear you as well and pleased that
:09:52. > :09:55.you're with us. The line sounded a little odd. But I'm glad you're
:09:56. > :09:58.still there. What was the moment at which your relationship changed,
:09:59. > :10:05.when you thought this was a man you could get on with? Yes, the very
:10:06. > :10:13.first time I met him, he was brought under cover of darkness from his
:10:14. > :10:18.home, where he was living. My first impression of him was he was taller
:10:19. > :10:31.than I expected. He had a dignified air around him. He spoke with great
:10:32. > :10:37.clarity. I found him an analytical listener. I immediately liked him
:10:38. > :10:46.and there was a spark between us. That chemistry, as it developed, was
:10:47. > :10:56.based on mutual respect. How did he come to show that respect given that
:10:57. > :11:01.the apartheid regime had done so much for him. He had a remarkable
:11:02. > :11:07.lack of bitterness, that he understood the concerns of my people
:11:08. > :11:11.and what I represented in public life. And that he was prepared to go
:11:12. > :11:17.out of his way to accommodate those concerns without giving up his
:11:18. > :11:26.principle. From our side of negotiatiations, we also understood
:11:27. > :11:33.the concerns of the ANC. We tried to accommodate it and all this led it a
:11:34. > :11:40.remarkable agreement, a remarkable consensus, which is embodied in our
:11:41. > :11:44.very good constitution. Mr President, how would you say that
:11:45. > :11:48.the shape of modern South Africa bears the imprint of Mr Mandela?
:11:49. > :11:57.What would you point to principally as his greatest legacy? I think his
:11:58. > :12:02.greatest legacy and the influence on the South African nation is that we
:12:03. > :12:09.are basically at peace with each other, notwithstanding our great
:12:10. > :12:19.diversity, that we will be taking hands once again now, around our
:12:20. > :12:25.common sadness and mourning. He's got this legacy that he was a
:12:26. > :12:30.unifier and that he successfully built the bridge between the
:12:31. > :12:37.conflict of the past and the peace of today.
:12:38. > :12:42.As you speak to us, we're seeing images of you getting the Nobel
:12:43. > :12:46.Prize and talking about unity, both of you shaking hands and celebrating
:12:47. > :12:53.what you've achieved, all those years ago. Again, the warmth between
:12:54. > :12:57.you is clear. I just want to finally thank you for being with us and ask
:12:58. > :13:03.you for just a thought for the Mandela family and what they're
:13:04. > :13:08.going through tonight. My wife and I have been close in our later years,
:13:09. > :13:18.in these later years and we've reached out to his wife and to all
:13:19. > :13:23.his children, also to Winnie, his former wife, his children and
:13:24. > :13:31.grandchildren and great chand children, our -- great
:13:32. > :13:38.grandchildren, we hold them in our sympathy. That was the former
:13:39. > :13:44.president of South Africa, FWDeKlerk. More tributes in a second
:13:45. > :13:49.because that's important, including President Obama. Wasn't that
:13:50. > :13:58.fascinating, assen insight. For me, it was extraordinary. It's
:13:59. > :14:03.interesting that President DE Klerk he took over from the last great
:14:04. > :14:10.tyrant of South Africa, who was rigidly against compromise. None of
:14:11. > :14:13.us knew where President De-Klerk would leave South Africa. I don't
:14:14. > :14:25.think he knew where he would leave South Africa. He knew that he had to
:14:26. > :15:06.do something. That stick him most when he met Nelson Mandela.
:15:07. > :15:18.We are joined by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, thank you very much. Your
:15:19. > :15:27.thoughts this evening? A moment of sadness, but Nelson Mandela took us
:15:28. > :15:33.to unbelievable heights, this takes us to unbelievable depths, he was a
:15:34. > :15:36.force for good. Having suffered on his way into prominence, with his
:15:37. > :15:42.suffering and his vision, he chose at a critical moment reconciliation
:15:43. > :15:46.over retribution. If he had she was in retribution for the years of
:15:47. > :15:54.suffering, there would have been a bloody and divided both Africa even
:15:55. > :16:00.today. But this sets an example for the world. Using the political
:16:01. > :16:08.process for resolution. Not a violent one. The former president,
:16:09. > :16:12.President FW de Klerk, seeing this man commanded authority we he went.
:16:13. > :16:22.What was your experience that authority? He was a talented and
:16:23. > :16:26.bright lawyer. Oliver is life was caught up -- all of his life was
:16:27. > :16:30.caught up in this ambition to free his country. He came up in the
:16:31. > :16:36.ranks, tried nonviolence for a wild, and the government was told rigid,
:16:37. > :16:42.killing people with massacres in Soweto and other places, finally
:16:43. > :16:49.becoming the general of the military arm of Free South Africa. A remember
:16:50. > :16:53.him saying in our last conversation, when they finally find him, they had
:16:54. > :16:56.been bombing installations, railroads and the like, and were
:16:57. > :17:01.about to escalate again to attack some people, maybe hospitals and
:17:02. > :17:05.schools, and he was glad he was caught, rather than suffering in
:17:06. > :17:10.jail than killing innocent people. That's ends of principle, tough
:17:11. > :17:16.mind, tender heart, was Nelson Mandela. Everywhere he went, there
:17:17. > :17:23.was an army of people waiting to admire and express their views. And
:17:24. > :17:28.yet, this was a man whose reputation change significantly. How did he
:17:29. > :17:34.manage that a change and what was your perception of that? People have
:17:35. > :17:43.the capacity to change and not the landlocked. He saw the power of
:17:44. > :17:47.suffering and nonviolence. He saw the power of reconciliation. He saw
:17:48. > :17:52.a new South Africa that would have to be a nonracial South Africa,
:17:53. > :17:57.white people having a place, everyone having a place. He knew
:17:58. > :18:08.there was some history of the role of Mahatma Gandhi. A strong Indian
:18:09. > :18:11.constituency. He knew that some people would not support that. He
:18:12. > :18:18.had to reconcile these moving parts and did so with a keen analytical
:18:19. > :18:24.mind. But one thing that struck me when he came out of jail that
:18:25. > :18:34.Sunday, after 27 years, piratical it he was. His mind remained sharp to
:18:35. > :18:42.the very end. We have more remarkable scenes, this time from
:18:43. > :18:45.Soweto. Such a symbolically important township, of course, where
:18:46. > :18:49.there were a lot of incidents reported in the past, some of them
:18:50. > :18:54.travelling. And right at the heart of the story of South Africa. As we
:18:55. > :19:00.are seeing those images, we're there will be lots of grief, but also
:19:01. > :19:04.celebrating, Mr Jackson, tell us how this is likely to impact on people
:19:05. > :19:09.in the United States, where let's face it, there will be many millions
:19:10. > :19:13.of people, black people, looking at this news and pondering what he
:19:14. > :19:16.achieved but the future of South Africa, which in recent years has
:19:17. > :19:23.been maybe more unsteady than it should have been? And steady,
:19:24. > :19:28.because Africa is free but not equal. There is that economical
:19:29. > :19:33.disparity where do people own the land and corporate power. Many
:19:34. > :19:40.people language than poverty. That is unfinished business. -- more
:19:41. > :19:48.people languish in poverty. Fighting against degradation, R Buddhism, --
:19:49. > :19:52.fighting against degradation, and he fought against that. He could have
:19:53. > :20:02.been the lifetime president. I'd have him comes Thabo Mbeki, then
:20:03. > :20:09.Jacob Zuma. -- out of him. That is a part of his legacy. We end with a
:20:10. > :20:14.lovely photograph of you with Nelson Mandela, and we thank you for your
:20:15. > :20:20.comments tonight. Reverend Jesse Jackson there. I think on the line
:20:21. > :20:25.from Johannesburg, we have the South African businessman, Saki Macozoma,
:20:26. > :20:30.who spent time on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela. Thank you so much
:20:31. > :20:36.for joining us. Can I have your thoughts on this sad news? Thank you
:20:37. > :20:43.very much. I think this is something a lot of us had been expecting. He
:20:44. > :20:46.had been ill for a long time. And I have been listening to all the
:20:47. > :20:53.tributes that have been paid to him and I can confirm I have not heard
:20:54. > :21:02.any exaggeration. When Nelson Mandela was released, I was in Cape
:21:03. > :21:12.Town, I was there, I was going around South Africa at the time, and
:21:13. > :21:16.remember fondly on that day. Whatever your memories of the
:21:17. > :21:20.election itself? We are looking at those powerful, well-known images of
:21:21. > :21:24.his release. Then the election that followed, what was your sense of the
:21:25. > :21:30.transformation of South Africa on the day of the election? Actually,
:21:31. > :21:35.that transformation took a couple of years before the election. The real
:21:36. > :21:43.herculean task was the times when Nelson Mandela had to go into places
:21:44. > :21:48.like Soweto, and people were being mown down by a known men in the
:21:49. > :21:52.middle of the night and people would get into a train and killed,
:21:53. > :21:58.innocent people. Those were the most difficult times. I remember those
:21:59. > :22:04.trips with him, many a time, times when he had to call of negotiation
:22:05. > :22:09.in order to put the point across that the government could not
:22:10. > :22:14.negotiate on the one hand, and allows sinister forces to be keeping
:22:15. > :22:20.people all around. Nelson Mandela also gained respect in the
:22:21. > :22:28.negotiated settlement when he stood up to President FW de Klerk and the
:22:29. > :22:34.dated him for not following the agreed protocol -- berated him. A
:22:35. > :22:42.lot of people who might have lost faith in him realised that Nelson
:22:43. > :22:51.Mandela was not a big teddy bear, that as smooth as he was, there was
:22:52. > :22:54.strength to him. Still looking at nice images from South Africa, the
:22:55. > :23:00.flag, being patriotic, clearly paying respect, and the question I
:23:01. > :23:03.want to ask you now is about Robben Island, because earlier we were
:23:04. > :23:12.discussing the transformation that happened for Mr Mandela, and you are
:23:13. > :23:19.the best person to ask, what is your sense of how 27 years in jail
:23:20. > :23:27.changed this man? He used to talk about it quite a lot about how the
:23:28. > :23:32.patients he had -- about the patients he needed, that he was not
:23:33. > :23:38.always a patient man, and he was often irritated, because all of the
:23:39. > :23:42.time it would take so much time talking to one client, not making
:23:43. > :23:46.much money in the process, and he said being on Robben Island, having
:23:47. > :23:53.the time to read and think and contemplate and debate made him the
:23:54. > :23:58.person that he was, to read about the struggles of other people, and
:23:59. > :24:02.the stories of other leaders and what mistakes they had made. One of
:24:03. > :24:07.the striking things when I arrived on Robben Island was how keen they
:24:08. > :24:12.were to listen to those of buyers who were young at the time, coming
:24:13. > :24:20.forth, trying to understand our psychology, what issues concerned as
:24:21. > :24:27.most. And the generation that we were. Robben Island had a lot of
:24:28. > :24:33.input for him, and the character that he became. That was not
:24:34. > :24:42.something that came naturally, it was cultivated, part of preparing to
:24:43. > :24:49.lead a people. Fascinating to Torquay to -- to talk to you and, on
:24:50. > :24:54.today of all days, thank you. James Robbins is still here. The
:24:55. > :25:01.former correspondent in South Africa during that amend this time in the
:25:02. > :25:06.early 1990s. And one of our current correspondence now. She happens to
:25:07. > :25:11.be in London at this time. For you, you mentioned earlier on the power
:25:12. > :25:17.of the release of, and the fact that your mother was in tears when it
:25:18. > :25:21.happened, and you were a young girl trying to grasp the enormity of what
:25:22. > :25:26.was happening. Tell us today a full about the fact that this news
:25:27. > :25:31.clearly is going to mean a lot to most South Africans, but they had
:25:32. > :25:37.been expecting it for a long time. It is still a shock, and I want to
:25:38. > :25:43.talk about the kind of mood we are seeing. Looking at these images now,
:25:44. > :25:47.how would you describe to a UK audience why people would be dancing
:25:48. > :25:52.and celebrating as part of the response to this news? South
:25:53. > :25:57.Africans have always been described as a confused nation. When it comes
:25:58. > :26:01.to South Africans protesting, you will see chanting and dancing on the
:26:02. > :26:11.streets. When they are happy, the chant and dance and laugh and cry.
:26:12. > :26:13.That is the spirit of South Africa, which was also harnessed by
:26:14. > :26:18.President Nelson Mandela when he was preaching reconciliation. We are
:26:19. > :26:23.likely to hear a lot of songs that were being sung, even during
:26:24. > :26:27.apartheid, when Nelson Mandela was the leader of the armed struggle.
:26:28. > :26:32.Both in and out of South Africa, songs that pay tribute to Nelson
:26:33. > :26:40.Mandela, songs that they Nelson Mandela, -- that say to Nelson
:26:41. > :26:49.Mandela, there is no one like you. And there is no one item anywhere in
:26:50. > :26:59.South Africa. Look at Soweto, it is like a party. Underlined the
:27:00. > :27:02.importance of Soweto? We are seeing those streets, because he used to
:27:03. > :27:06.live on the streets, that house where people are celebrating and
:27:07. > :27:13.morning showing the tutors, that is the house that has been turned into
:27:14. > :27:19.a museum. -- celebrating and mourning. Not all South Africans can
:27:20. > :27:25.fit into a hospital waiting room, or where he has been taken, but a lot
:27:26. > :27:30.of, particularly black South Africans still living in townships
:27:31. > :27:35.like Soweto, that place holds significance for a lot of South
:27:36. > :27:38.Africans. Let us hold that thought, because we have been talking to some
:27:39. > :27:43.people in Johannesburg since this news was announced, and this is the
:27:44. > :27:50.kind of thing people are seeing there tonight. I am sad, but at the
:27:51. > :27:57.same time, he has had his part in life and he did it very well. It is
:27:58. > :28:04.fine that he goes, he did all he could, he was old, you know. It is a
:28:05. > :28:10.tragedy, and we have lost a great hero, and people will be upset. It
:28:11. > :28:13.is quite tragic, like being around the families and knowing that the
:28:14. > :28:19.person you have no knowledge of life has gone. That is how we feel right
:28:20. > :28:24.now. At the same time, we should celebrate what he has achieved and
:28:25. > :28:33.given as. I would not be free if it was not for him. What a powerful
:28:34. > :28:39.statement. Absolutely, and he said we should also celebrate. And those
:28:40. > :28:42.scenes on that street. That is where, within a few days of Nelson
:28:43. > :28:47.Mandela being released in prison, that is the one to which he
:28:48. > :28:52.returned, -- released from prison, that is where he returned, and gave
:28:53. > :28:56.his first interview to the BBC with me, within days of coming out of
:28:57. > :29:02.prison. It was a powerful symbol for him. He insisted he wanted to go
:29:03. > :29:05.back to Soweto, to his people. He did not want to put on the clothes
:29:06. > :29:09.of a leader, but be back amongst his people in the home that was
:29:10. > :29:14.important to him at the early stages of his life before going into prison
:29:15. > :29:17.for such a long time, though he renewed his connection with the
:29:18. > :29:21.people of South Africa, broken by that long imprisonment, and hugely
:29:22. > :29:28.symbolic, and strange to see that house, which is now a museum, but
:29:29. > :29:33.hardly surprising, and it is in a predominantly middle-class area of
:29:34. > :29:38.Soweto. In the 1990s, to me, when he came out of prison, that was not
:29:39. > :29:42.imaginable, because the black middle class was almost nonexistent. He and
:29:43. > :29:47.others around him is shared in the poverty of Soweto, because that was
:29:48. > :29:50.forced on them by apartheid. Job reservation, the insistence by white
:29:51. > :29:55.South Africa that black people could only have their jobs, could only
:29:56. > :29:58.have certain levels of education, the delivered minimisation of
:29:59. > :30:03.spending on black education, all things holding black South Africa
:30:04. > :30:16.back, he's so partly helped to change. -- so powerfully help to
:30:17. > :30:21.change. This is a special programme from BBC News, we are reporting
:30:22. > :30:28.about the death of Nelson Mandela at the age of 95. Many tributes have
:30:29. > :30:31.been paid. People want to underline their admiration and love for Nelson
:30:32. > :30:36.Mandela and what he has made to them, not just in South Africa but
:30:37. > :30:40.across the world. Our correspondent considers the people and the places
:30:41. > :30:48.which influenced Nelson Mandela and drove his struggle against the
:30:49. > :30:55.partied regime. -- the apartheid regime. His story is remarkable. Few
:30:56. > :31:00.in history have in history have injured oppression with such little
:31:01. > :31:09.rancour or overcome the oppressor with such little bloodshed. I,
:31:10. > :31:19.Nelson Mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the Republic of South
:31:20. > :31:23.Africa. In May 1994, Nelson Mandela, the man white South Africa had
:31:24. > :31:26.imprisoned for nearly 30 years, was sworn in as the first black
:31:27. > :31:32.president of the country. Through his courageous leadership the
:31:33. > :31:37.African National Congress had broken the stranglehold of partied and
:31:38. > :31:44.transformed South Africa into a multiracial democracy. -- of
:31:45. > :31:48.apartheid. Nelson Mandela was born in 1916 in the Eastern Cape of South
:31:49. > :31:55.Africa. He was the son of a tribal chief. He qualified as a lawyer and
:31:56. > :32:00.set up a partnership with a lifelong friend and ally, Oliver Tambo.
:32:01. > :32:05.Together they campaigned against apartheid, an exercise in social
:32:06. > :32:11.engineering under which the white minority in South Africa crushed the
:32:12. > :32:18.aspirations of the black jollity. Mandela was among activists to be
:32:19. > :32:24.charged of high treason. The trial lasted four years before the charges
:32:25. > :32:29.were dropped. The Sharpeville massacre in 1964 speed ANC to change
:32:30. > :32:35.strategy. The police opened fire on demonstrators. The ANC was outlawed
:32:36. > :32:43.and peaceful resistance became a thing of the past. Many people fear
:32:44. > :32:46.that it is useful and futile to continue a campaign of nonviolence
:32:47. > :32:54.against a current -- a government whose only reply is savage action
:32:55. > :32:59.against unarmed people. He undertook a campaign of sabotage against the
:33:00. > :33:03.state. He was eventually arrested and charged with conspiracy to
:33:04. > :33:08.overthrow the government. He made a three-hour speech from the Dock at
:33:09. > :33:11.his trial. This was his final plea for freedom and democracy for all
:33:12. > :33:15.South Africans will stop it was to a cold down the 27 years he remained a
:33:16. > :33:47.political prisoner. Sentenced to life imprisonment, he
:33:48. > :33:53.was sent to Robin Island, a top security prison in Table Bay in Cape
:33:54. > :33:58.Town. Photographs of them were banned from publication.
:33:59. > :34:07.Astonishingly, he was not embittered by his imprisonment. We are not
:34:08. > :34:15.conducting a struggle against individual whites. In the course of
:34:16. > :34:20.that struggle, we had formed friendships with people from the
:34:21. > :34:26.other side. Outside, time is running out for apartheid. With the ANC
:34:27. > :34:30.readership in jail, even the children in Soweto were helping to
:34:31. > :34:36.sustain the revolution. The hardline government tried to crush the
:34:37. > :34:40.uprising but gradually more liberal white people began to realise
:34:41. > :34:47.Mandela was the solution, not the problem. An international campaign
:34:48. > :34:51.was begun for the release of Nelson Mandela, as around the world,
:34:52. > :35:01.governments impose sanctions on South Africa. In 1919 80, President
:35:02. > :35:11.FW de Klerk announced the ANC would be on band. -- in 1990. Nelson
:35:12. > :35:17.Mandela taking the first three steps into democracy. Nelson Mandela
:35:18. > :35:26.walked to freedom with his then wife Winnie Mandela at his side. How soon
:35:27. > :35:31.turned to despair. Township islands had blacks fighting blacks. And
:35:32. > :35:43.Della repeatedly appealed for peace. Take your gun, your knife and throw
:35:44. > :35:50.them into the river. -- Nelson Mandela repeatedly appealed for
:35:51. > :35:57.peace. He cast his vote in the first multiracial elections. The result
:35:58. > :36:05.was a landslide for the ANC. Nelson Mandela was president of the new
:36:06. > :36:12.South Africa. Never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land
:36:13. > :36:20.will again experience the oppression of one by another. Three years
:36:21. > :36:26.later, Nelson Mandela gave up the presidency of the ANC in favour of
:36:27. > :36:33.Thabo Mbeki, who also succeeded him as head of state.
:36:34. > :36:43.Nelson Mandela was fated throughout the world, as here in London. There
:36:44. > :36:54.had been personal sadness. His long-time managed to Winnie, had
:36:55. > :37:03.ended. -- marriage. In 19 90, he married grass shell, the widow of
:37:04. > :37:12.the late president of was unbeaten. -- Graca Machel. He enjoyed family
:37:13. > :37:19.life which is long-term imprisonment had denied him. He visited Robben
:37:20. > :37:25.Island again. He lit a candle to symbolise reconciliation. It was
:37:26. > :37:30.passed to an African child to represent the hopes of the continent
:37:31. > :37:34.for the future, I hope inspired by the life and ideals of one of the
:37:35. > :37:43.truly great leaders of our time, Nelson Mandela.
:37:44. > :37:51.Nicholas Witchel on the remarkable life and times of Nelson Mandela.
:37:52. > :37:58.Let us stop to a professor from Johannesburg University. -- let us
:37:59. > :38:02.talk to. Thank you for joining us. I should ask you for your tribute and
:38:03. > :38:08.your thoughts tonight. It is a very poignant moments. Nelson Mandela was
:38:09. > :38:15.one of our most illustrious other night. He had spent many years
:38:16. > :38:21.there, with many of his contemporaries. They went on as a
:38:22. > :38:27.collective to transform our country and to do so in a way that could
:38:28. > :38:33.only be better. For most South Africans and especially students,
:38:34. > :38:39.staff and other night of this university it is a very sad moment.
:38:40. > :38:42.We are seeing lots of images of people in Johannesburg and in
:38:43. > :38:50.Soweto, of people who have gathered at the former family home. What do
:38:51. > :38:56.you think people want to see in the days and weeks that head, what kind
:38:57. > :39:01.of recognition and what kind of state formality would be like to see
:39:02. > :39:07.which would do justice to this man? I think what everybody would like to
:39:08. > :39:11.see is that the death of Nelson Mandela brings this country together
:39:12. > :39:18.like nothing else has. He is the one symbol which can unite South Africa
:39:19. > :39:22.in the way nothing else can. He can unite people across class, religion
:39:23. > :39:30.and race. In the days ahead you will see that. That is quite an elaborate
:39:31. > :39:37.system are to honour Nelson Mandela. It will be done officially through
:39:38. > :39:40.the union house. There will be a big memorial service in Johannesburg.
:39:41. > :39:48.There will be another big funeral service in the chance gal. -- in the
:39:49. > :39:54.Eastern Cape. We will see South Africans coming together in ways we
:39:55. > :40:00.have not seen before. You will see the world coming together because
:40:01. > :40:04.Nelson Mandela was the greatest son of South Africa, but he was also an
:40:05. > :40:10.icon for the world. Across the world, people involved in struggles
:40:11. > :40:16.against oppression and exploitation use him as a symbol to unite that
:40:17. > :40:23.struggle. We will see the world coming together to honour what is a
:40:24. > :40:28.magnificent life, a magnificent contribution not only to South
:40:29. > :40:33.Africa and the continent, but to the whole of humanity. As you speak
:40:34. > :40:41.recess, the British Foreign Secretary has offered his own
:40:42. > :40:46.tribute. # as you speak, Professor. He says his name will go down
:40:47. > :40:51.through the ages for his immense contribution to Africa and the world
:40:52. > :40:54.and his tireless work to peace and reconciliation. His example to us
:40:55. > :41:01.all of tireless courage and fortitude. What for you is the place
:41:02. > :41:08.in history that people should be recognising today? I think there are
:41:09. > :41:12.two things. One of the most striking things about him is that he gave up
:41:13. > :41:19.power after five years. He could have been a life president. After
:41:20. > :41:25.five years, he handed over power to Thabo Mbeki. He gave up the
:41:26. > :41:30.political presidency but he became a global icon and became a symbol for
:41:31. > :41:33.freedom across the world. That is what people should remember. He
:41:34. > :41:42.spent 27 years in prison and came out, at that point, he saw South
:41:43. > :41:47.Africa needed reconciliation. He stood up for reconciliation. He
:41:48. > :41:52.united South Africans. He gave South Africa the moment where it could
:41:53. > :41:59.route its democracy, that moment of peace which are loaded to avoid a
:42:00. > :42:03.civil war. It allowed it to establish a firm democracy. We have
:42:04. > :42:09.serious problems of inequality and poverty, we have serious
:42:10. > :42:11.challenges, but what is not questionable is the fact we will
:42:12. > :42:20.move forward as a stable political system. That possibility was
:42:21. > :42:29.bequeathed to us by Nelson Mandela. It was a pleasure to talk to you.
:42:30. > :42:35.Thank you very much. Thank you. We have had tributes from all around
:42:36. > :42:39.the world. No fewer than four former US Presidents have been paying
:42:40. > :42:45.tribute to Mr Mandela, to his achievements and his life. We are
:42:46. > :42:50.reporting here his death at the age of 95. President Jacob Zuma
:42:51. > :42:54.announced his death just a couple of hours ago, paying tribute to this
:42:55. > :43:01.remarkable contribution, not just to South Africa but to the cause of
:43:02. > :43:08.justice around the world. Former US presidents joining in the tributes.
:43:09. > :43:16.President Obamas, of course the first lack American president, has
:43:17. > :43:21.been expressing his feelings and paying his tribute to Nelson
:43:22. > :43:33.Mandela. At his trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela composed a statement
:43:34. > :43:39.saying, I have fought against white domination and black domination. I
:43:40. > :43:42.have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which
:43:43. > :43:47.all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is
:43:48. > :43:53.an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. If needs be, it is
:43:54. > :44:01.an ideal for which I am prepared to die. Nelson Mandela lived for that
:44:02. > :44:11.ideal and he made it real. He achieved more than could be expected
:44:12. > :44:15.of any man. Today he has gone home. We have lost one of the most
:44:16. > :44:19.influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that
:44:20. > :44:26.any of us will share time with on this earth. He no longer belongs to
:44:27. > :44:32.us. He belongs to the Angels. For his fears dignity and unbending will
:44:33. > :44:39.to sacrifice his own freedom for the sake of others, he transformed South
:44:40. > :44:43.Africa and moved all of us. His journey from a prisoner to a
:44:44. > :44:49.president embodied the promise that human beings and countries can
:44:50. > :44:54.change for the better. His commitment to transfer power, to
:44:55. > :45:03.reconcile with those who jailed him was an example that all humanity
:45:04. > :45:09.should aspire to. President Obama speaking at the White House in the
:45:10. > :45:15.last hour. Very keen to pages tribute to former president Mandela
:45:16. > :45:22.of South Africa. Tributes from all over the world. Including here in
:45:23. > :45:28.London as Prime Minister Cameron has been speaking in Downing Street
:45:29. > :45:33.tonight. One of the brightest lights of our world has gone out tonight.
:45:34. > :45:41.Nelson Mandela was not just the hero of our time, but I hero of all time.
:45:42. > :45:46.The first president of a free South Africa, a man who suffered so much
:45:47. > :45:52.for freedom and justice, and a man who, through his dignity and
:45:53. > :45:57.triumph, inspired millions. The strongest impression of all when you
:45:58. > :46:02.met him was of his extraordinary compassion and generosity and
:46:03. > :46:07.forgiveness. Tonight, families across Britain will mourn with his
:46:08. > :46:13.family and everyone in South Africa. Your greatest son has moved
:46:14. > :46:17.millions and I believe that his inspiration for the future will be
:46:18. > :46:22.every bit as parcel as the extraordinary things -- will be
:46:23. > :46:27.every bit as powerful as the extraordinary thing they achieved in
:46:28. > :46:32.his remarkable life. David Cameron speaking a short while ago. The Duke
:46:33. > :46:35.and Duchess of Cambridge have earlier this evening been attending
:46:36. > :46:44.the premiere of a film of Nelson Mandela's life. She time ago, they
:46:45. > :46:51.gave their reaction. -- short time ago. Sad and tragic news and we are
:46:52. > :46:54.reminded what an extraordinary and inspiring man he was. Thoughts and
:46:55. > :47:05.prayers are with his family right now. That was the brief but solemn
:47:06. > :47:08.response from the Duke and just -- Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
:47:09. > :47:12.attending that film premiere. All around the world, over the next 24
:47:13. > :47:17.hours, there will be moments of silence. People will want to reflect
:47:18. > :47:22.on the astonishing contribution and achievements of former President
:47:23. > :47:33.Mandela. This is what happened at the United Nations short while ago.
:47:34. > :47:36.-- a short while ago. Those gathered from nations all around the world,
:47:37. > :47:43.standing respectfully and with dignity in silence to mark the news
:47:44. > :47:49.that Nelson Mandela has passed away at the age of 95. Let us speak to
:47:50. > :47:56.someone who knows the Mandela family very well. On the line we have an
:47:57. > :47:59.opposition leader who knows the family and he is from the Eastern
:48:00. > :48:03.Cape, the area where Mr Mandela grew up and stop thank you so much for
:48:04. > :48:13.joining us. What are your thoughts tonight? We join the rest of the
:48:14. > :48:25.world in passing condolences to the Mandela family. He lived very well
:48:26. > :48:31.during his innings, Madiba, and when he said to as some years back, I
:48:32. > :48:41.think we were in London at the concert, it is now in your hands. We
:48:42. > :48:52.knew what that meant. It was a way forward. And we feel strongly that
:48:53. > :49:02.the teachings of Mandela should never be forgotten by this country,
:49:03. > :49:06.especially the discipline he displayed during the time he was in
:49:07. > :49:13.jail, during the time he was outside, but being consistent that
:49:14. > :49:20.his fighting for the quality of lives for South Africans. What has
:49:21. > :49:31.been your contact with the family in recent days? I was with the family
:49:32. > :49:46.earlier this afternoon and I had the privilege also of seeing Madiba,
:49:47. > :49:55.then I left and the family, you could see that they have no more or
:49:56. > :49:59.less accepted the reality. And when they said, in the last few days,
:50:00. > :50:05.that he was at peace, is that conclusion that you would also offer
:50:06. > :50:20.after your contact in the 24 hours? At peace? At least. -- at peace.
:50:21. > :50:30.Madiba, since he left hospital, he kept staying in his bed, kept quiet,
:50:31. > :50:40.all alone, and I do not think the family was wrong to say he was at.
:50:41. > :50:46.-- he was at peace. This afternoon, you could see he was struggling to
:50:47. > :50:50.breathe. You say you knew him and the family, and he was strong minded
:50:51. > :50:55.character, very strong willed, and lots of people describing this
:50:56. > :50:58.length of his character. What was your experience of that and how
:50:59. > :51:07.challenging could he be if he was very determined? Well, Madiba, I
:51:08. > :51:17.would say he was a courageous man, and when it was not fashionable, in
:51:18. > :51:19.the 1960s, he called for the ANC two embark on a struggle against
:51:20. > :51:26.apartheid, whilst others thought they could negotiate with the
:51:27. > :51:32.apartheid government. Later on, the same Madiba had the courage to say
:51:33. > :51:40.to stop fighting and to negotiate. Others were still keen to fight on.
:51:41. > :51:49.Really, this is the person who was taking decisions at critical times
:51:50. > :51:56.for the benefit of the country. This is Madiba who spoke directly to
:51:57. > :52:06.decision-makers. I remember actually talking about George Bush Snr, it
:52:07. > :52:17.was in 1992, when he called him with his authority to have -- authority
:52:18. > :52:24.to approach, asking George Bush to request his UN representative to
:52:25. > :52:29.endorse the resolution to send monitors to monitor violence in
:52:30. > :52:35.South Africa, before we left together from New York, he had got
:52:36. > :52:43.all the leaders and we knew that by the time we presented our case, that
:52:44. > :52:54.this request would be endorsed, so he was very authoritative, but with
:52:55. > :52:59.humility and also he connected with all kinds of people with ease,
:53:00. > :53:07.because he was not an assuming person. Thank you so much for
:53:08. > :53:17.spending time talking to us. Thank you. While he was sharing his views,
:53:18. > :53:21.we have been gathering some views in and around Johannesburg, where lots
:53:22. > :53:24.of people have been ready to talk and share their tributes and
:53:25. > :53:33.thoughts having him the news of his death. I am sad, but at the same
:53:34. > :53:39.time, I think he has had his part in life and he did it very well. It is
:53:40. > :53:46.fine that he goes. He did all he could, he was old, yeah. A real
:53:47. > :53:54.tragedy, we have lost a great hero in South Africa. Quite tragic. Like
:53:55. > :53:59.being around the family's home and that the person you know all your
:54:00. > :54:03.life has gone. It is tragic, sad, but I think we should celebrate what
:54:04. > :54:11.he has achieved and what he has given us. I would not be free if it
:54:12. > :54:20.was not for him. Such power and strength in those tributes, and
:54:21. > :54:25.there will be more. Just chatting there, and trying to get into the
:54:26. > :54:28.area of personality and strength, and the caller was being diplomatic,
:54:29. > :54:35.just wanting to reinforce and there are people who are big allies today
:54:36. > :54:43.who were maybe -- who maybe had big differences in the past? There were
:54:44. > :54:49.egg differences. -- there were big political differences. Those also
:54:50. > :54:56.led to President Mandela expelling some members. But there was still a
:54:57. > :55:03.connection. There was still a family connection. In the media, we have
:55:04. > :55:14.seen the fact that there are clashes between certain numbers members of
:55:15. > :55:20.the family. And one diplomatic person was the negotiator between
:55:21. > :55:27.the family and government for them to reconcile, going back to them,
:55:28. > :55:31.saying that Mandela is a brand, the family needs to emulate what Mandela
:55:32. > :55:38.stands for. That is what the family needs to see. And thoughts, now we
:55:39. > :55:44.are in the last few minutes of this part of the coverage, really as well
:55:45. > :55:49.about what Mr Mandela made of the South Africa that is to date, over
:55:50. > :55:54.20 years after he was released, and after his period in office, ending
:55:55. > :55:58.in the late 1990s, he made his views plain about some developments. What
:55:59. > :56:05.was his take on modern South Africa and was he overwhelmingly happy with
:56:06. > :56:09.the shape of it? We do not think he was overwhelmingly happy, but happy
:56:10. > :56:17.with the overriding truth of freedom. He could be very caustic.
:56:18. > :56:19.He spoke out famously when in London against President Mugabe in
:56:20. > :56:26.Zimbabwe, against many people he thought had abused power, and he was
:56:27. > :56:30.certainly privately very critical of some of the directions that his
:56:31. > :56:34.successors in the presidency led South Africa into. But very careful
:56:35. > :56:38.and cautious not to undermine them publicly, because as far as he was
:56:39. > :56:43.concerned, the important thing was that they had been elected in a
:56:44. > :56:47.proper, democratic process, unlike anything that could have happened if
:56:48. > :56:52.he had not brought it about. And we saw fleetingly the diplomats that
:56:53. > :56:55.the security council in the United Nations in New York standing around
:56:56. > :57:00.that table in tribute, silent tribute. That was a powerful piece
:57:01. > :57:07.of symbolism, not unprecedented, but very rear for such a thing to
:57:08. > :57:12.happen. -- very rare. Recognising, surely, a true peacemaker, when they
:57:13. > :57:17.are so often divided over issues of peace and war, not finding it
:57:18. > :57:24.difficult to unite behind the memory of Nelson Mandela. Thank you both
:57:25. > :57:27.for your company. Thank you for sharing your experiences. That is it
:57:28. > :57:32.from me, there is continuing coverage here on the BBC on the
:57:33. > :57:37.death of the former president Nelson Mandela, the first like presidents
:57:38. > :57:41.-- the first black president of South Africa. We leave you with
:57:42. > :57:56.images that defined a remarkable lifetime.
:57:57. > :58:02.There are many people who feel it is useless and futile for us to
:58:03. > :58:07.continue talking peace and nonviolence against the government
:58:08. > :58:19.whose reply is only savage attacks. One and an people -- on a non-armed
:58:20. > :58:23.and defenceless people. It is something for which I am prepared to
:58:24. > :58:27.die. One of the things that is difficult
:58:28. > :58:35.for me to comprehend is that I spent such a long time here.
:58:36. > :58:44.There is Mr Mandela, Mr Nelson Mandela, after the man that backdrop
:58:45. > :58:52.a free man. We have realised our greatest team of being free at last.
:58:53. > :59:03.In our own country. Never, never, and never again, shall
:59:04. > :59:11.aid the that this beautiful land shall again experience the operation
:59:12. > :59:25.of one by another. It is time for a new heads to lift
:59:26. > :59:27.the Burtons. It is in your hands now. -- left the burdens.