Nelson Mandela BBC News Special


Nelson Mandela

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We will report on his remarkable life from prisoner to president,

:00:16.:00:22.

from freedom fighter to local statesman. President Zuma has made

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this announcement. Our beloved Nelson Mandela, the founding

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president of our democratic nation has departed. He'd become

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increasingly frail in recent years and died at home in Johannesburg,

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surrounded by close family members. We've lost one of the most

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influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that

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any of us will share time with on this earth. He no longer belongs to

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us. He belongs to the ages. Tonight, one of the brightest lights of our

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world has gone out. He spent three decades in jail, an enemy of the

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apartheid regime and a determined fighter for democracy. There's Mr

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Nelson Mandela, a free man, taking his first steps into a new South

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Africa. His long walk to freedom was celebrated worldwide. He became one

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of the towering figures of the past century. His election as South

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Africa's first black president brought a spirit of reconciliation

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after all the pain of apartheid. Never and never again shall it be

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that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by

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another. Good evening. The former South African president, Nelson

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Mandela, has died at home at the age of 95. Mr Mandela spent nearly three

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decades in prison, fighting for equality and in 1994, South Africa

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held its first multiethnic, fully representative elections and he

:02:21.:02:24.

became president. The former antiapartheid leader, who led the

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struggle against white minority rule had been suffering from a recurrence

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of a lung infection, was taken to hospital in Pretoria at the

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beginning of June. It was the third time this year that he had needed

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hospital treatment. He had been receiving treatment at home after

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that. His death was announced by the South African president, Jacob Zuma.

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Fellow South Africans, our beloved Nelson Mandela, the founding

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president of our democratic nation has departed. He passed on

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peacefully in the company of his family around 20. 50, on the 5th of

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December, 2013. He is now resting. He is now at peace. Our nation has

:03:31.:03:43.

lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father. Jacob Zuma make

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being the announcement just over an hour ago of the death of President

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Mandela, at the age of 95 and underlining his immense contribution

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to the people of South Africa and indeed, his status as a towering

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figure during the Twentieth Century Anderson emblem of freedom and

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justice throughout the world. Our correspondent is in Johannesburg and

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Gabriel can tell us more about the tributes being paid in the past

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hour. Yes, well we've seen tributes coming

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not only from Jacob Zuma, as you heard there, but also from around

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the world. David Cameron, Barack Obama, everywhere you can think of,

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people are talking about the symbol of justice that Nelson Mandela meant

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to the world. Looking a little bit closer at Jacob Zuma's statement, I

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think some of the key words to pick out there are "a sense of profound

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and enduring loss, that South Africa had lost its greatest son and that

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our people have lost a father." He's known as Nelson Mandela to the world

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but here in South Africa, he's often known by his tribal name Madiba or

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simply Tata, father. Jacob Zuma went on to say, "in him we saw so much of

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ourselves". That's a key thing here at this moment in South Africa, that

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is what people are mourning. They feel like a part of themselves, part

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of this nation, has left them. They identified Nelson Mandela in a

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sense, as the emblem of their better selves, of everything they wanted to

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achieve. Jacob Zuma said - let us reaffirm his vision of a society in

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which no-one is exploited or oppressed, to build a united and

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nonracial and prosperous South Africa. In the coming days, we will

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see South Africans gathering in cities and towns and villages to

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mark the respect with which they hold Nelson Mandela, for achieving

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everything that he did achieve in a peaceful, relatively peaceful

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transition from apartheid to democracy, but also, recognising, I

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think, in the coming days, how much distance this country still has to

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travel to achieve that vision. As you speak, we've been seeing images

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of people at the Mandela residence in Johannesburg. Really telling us

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something about a fusion of emotions, there'll be an outpouring

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of grief, clearly, for many millions of people, but there is a mood of

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celebration in one sense, celebrating all the remarkable

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things that this man achieved. I think that's right. Mixed emotions.

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People are sad. People feel that profound sense of loss, but Nelson

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Mandela is a symbol of hope and people will indeed be coming

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together to remember that, to remember him as an emblem, not just,

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a fighter against oppression, but as a man who could forgive, who could

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bring this country together against so many odds. I think what we've

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seen, in fact, in the last six months, ever since Mr Mandela went

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into hospital in June, and we were told that it was very, very serious,

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people beginning to prepare for this moment and beginning to begin to be

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able to believe it, in a sense. Even though South Africans have had six

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months to prepare themselves, you still constantly heard this hope

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against hope that he might just carry on. The word "fighter" was

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constantly used. Indeed, two days ago, on Tuesday, Nelson Mandela's

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eldest daughter said that while she could see that her father was

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suffering, on what she called his death bed, she said he continued to

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inspire, continued to fight courageously, she said he continues

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to teach us lessons. Thank you for now.

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Remarkable scenes in Johannesburg because we have dancing and singing,

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all of it dignified, of course, as you'd expect and really a show of

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admiration and respect in the way that people want to share their

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feelings and share their love for Mr Mandela. And to show that they're

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there with the family too. Very nice scenes for us to be able to see,

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these are the live images from Johannesburg now.

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I do believe that we're joined on the line by the former South African

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president FWDeKlerk. Good evening. Good evening. Thank you so much for

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joining us on such a momentous day. Can I ask you your thoughts now that

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you've heard the news of Mr Mandela's passing. It's a very sad

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moment for the whole of South African and I'm -- South Africa and

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I'm sure for millions of people around the world. I fully associate

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myself with the dignified and feeling statement which President

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Zuma made. I've become good friends with the late Nelson Mandela. We had

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our moments of political opponents, but our retirement and at times,

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during his presidency, we became very close. He's a remarkable man.

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He was a remarkable man. Because legacy will be the emphasis on

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reconciliation. He's a remarkable lack of bit Ernst. He -- bitterness.

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He didn't only talk about reconciliation. He lived

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reconciliation. He was a great union firing. -- unifier. Mr President, I

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hope you can still hear me. Are you still there? I'm still here. Can you

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hear me? Yes, we can. Very happy to hear you as well and pleased that

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you're with us. The line sounded a little odd. But I'm glad you're

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still there. What was the moment at which your relationship changed,

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when you thought this was a man you could get on with? Yes, the very

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first time I met him, he was brought under cover of darkness from his

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home, where he was living. My first impression of him was he was taller

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than I expected. He had a dignified air around him. He spoke with great

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clarity. I found him an analytical listener. I immediately liked him

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and there was a spark between us. That chemistry, as it developed, was

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based on mutual respect. How did he come to show that respect given that

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the apartheid regime had done so much for him. He had a remarkable

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lack of bitterness, that he understood the concerns of my people

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and what I represented in public life. And that he was prepared to go

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out of his way to accommodate those concerns without giving up his

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principle. From our side of negotiatiations, we also understood

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the concerns of the ANC. We tried to accommodate it and all this led it a

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remarkable agreement, a remarkable consensus, which is embodied in our

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very good constitution. Mr President, how would you say that

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the shape of modern South Africa bears the imprint of Mr Mandela?

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What would you point to principally as his greatest legacy? I think his

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greatest legacy and the influence on the South African nation is that we

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are basically at peace with each other, notwithstanding our great

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diversity, that we will be taking hands once again now, around our

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common sadness and mourning. He's got this legacy that he was a

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unifier and that he successfully built the bridge between the

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conflict of the past and the peace of today.

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As you speak to us, we're seeing images of you getting the Nobel

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Prize and talking about unity, both of you shaking hands and celebrating

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what you've achieved, all those years ago. Again, the warmth between

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you is clear. I just want to finally thank you for being with us and ask

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you for just a thought for the Mandela family and what they're

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going through tonight. My wife and I have been close in our later years,

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in these later years and we've reached out to his wife and to all

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his children, also to Winnie, his former wife, his children and

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grandchildren and great chand children, our -- great

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grandchildren, we hold them in our sympathy. That was the former

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president of South Africa, FWDeKlerk. More tributes in a second

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because that's important, including President Obama. Wasn't that

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fascinating, assen insight. For me, it was extraordinary. It's

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interesting that President DE Klerk he took over from the last great

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tyrant of South Africa, who was rigidly against compromise. None of

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us knew where President De-Klerk would leave South Africa. I don't

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think he knew where he would leave South Africa. He knew that he had to

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do something. That stick him most when he met Nelson Mandela.

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We are joined by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, thank you very much. Your

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thoughts this evening? A moment of sadness, but Nelson Mandela took us

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to unbelievable heights, this takes us to unbelievable depths, he was a

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force for good. Having suffered on his way into prominence, with his

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suffering and his vision, he chose at a critical moment reconciliation

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over retribution. If he had she was in retribution for the years of

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suffering, there would have been a bloody and divided both Africa even

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today. But this sets an example for the world. Using the political

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process for resolution. Not a violent one. The former president,

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President FW de Klerk, seeing this man commanded authority we he went.

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What was your experience that authority? He was a talented and

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bright lawyer. Oliver is life was caught up -- all of his life was

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caught up in this ambition to free his country. He came up in the

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ranks, tried nonviolence for a wild, and the government was told rigid,

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killing people with massacres in Soweto and other places, finally

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becoming the general of the military arm of Free South Africa. A remember

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him saying in our last conversation, when they finally find him, they had

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been bombing installations, railroads and the like, and were

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about to escalate again to attack some people, maybe hospitals and

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schools, and he was glad he was caught, rather than suffering in

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jail than killing innocent people. That's ends of principle, tough

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mind, tender heart, was Nelson Mandela. Everywhere he went, there

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was an army of people waiting to admire and express their views. And

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yet, this was a man whose reputation change significantly. How did he

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manage that a change and what was your perception of that? People have

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the capacity to change and not the landlocked. He saw the power of

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suffering and nonviolence. He saw the power of reconciliation. He saw

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a new South Africa that would have to be a nonracial South Africa,

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white people having a place, everyone having a place. He knew

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there was some history of the role of Mahatma Gandhi. A strong Indian

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constituency. He knew that some people would not support that. He

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had to reconcile these moving parts and did so with a keen analytical

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mind. But one thing that struck me when he came out of jail that

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Sunday, after 27 years, piratical it he was. His mind remained sharp to

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the very end. We have more remarkable scenes, this time from

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Soweto. Such a symbolically important township, of course, where

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there were a lot of incidents reported in the past, some of them

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travelling. And right at the heart of the story of South Africa. As we

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are seeing those images, we're there will be lots of grief, but also

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celebrating, Mr Jackson, tell us how this is likely to impact on people

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in the United States, where let's face it, there will be many millions

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of people, black people, looking at this news and pondering what he

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achieved but the future of South Africa, which in recent years has

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been maybe more unsteady than it should have been? And steady,

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because Africa is free but not equal. There is that economical

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disparity where do people own the land and corporate power. Many

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people language than poverty. That is unfinished business. -- more

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people languish in poverty. Fighting against degradation, R Buddhism, --

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fighting against degradation, and he fought against that. He could have

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been the lifetime president. I'd have him comes Thabo Mbeki, then

:19:53.:20:02.

Jacob Zuma. -- out of him. That is a part of his legacy. We end with a

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lovely photograph of you with Nelson Mandela, and we thank you for your

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comments tonight. Reverend Jesse Jackson there. I think on the line

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from Johannesburg, we have the South African businessman, Saki Macozoma,

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who spent time on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela. Thank you so much

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for joining us. Can I have your thoughts on this sad news? Thank you

:20:31.:20:36.

very much. I think this is something a lot of us had been expecting. He

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had been ill for a long time. And I have been listening to all the

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tributes that have been paid to him and I can confirm I have not heard

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any exaggeration. When Nelson Mandela was released, I was in Cape

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Town, I was there, I was going around South Africa at the time, and

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remember fondly on that day. Whatever your memories of the

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election itself? We are looking at those powerful, well-known images of

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his release. Then the election that followed, what was your sense of the

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transformation of South Africa on the day of the election? Actually,

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that transformation took a couple of years before the election. The real

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herculean task was the times when Nelson Mandela had to go into places

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like Soweto, and people were being mown down by a known men in the

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middle of the night and people would get into a train and killed,

:21:49.:21:52.

innocent people. Those were the most difficult times. I remember those

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trips with him, many a time, times when he had to call of negotiation

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in order to put the point across that the government could not

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negotiate on the one hand, and allows sinister forces to be keeping

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people all around. Nelson Mandela also gained respect in the

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negotiated settlement when he stood up to President FW de Klerk and the

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dated him for not following the agreed protocol -- berated him. A

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lot of people who might have lost faith in him realised that Nelson

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Mandela was not a big teddy bear, that as smooth as he was, there was

:22:43.:22:51.

strength to him. Still looking at nice images from South Africa, the

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flag, being patriotic, clearly paying respect, and the question I

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want to ask you now is about Robben Island, because earlier we were

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discussing the transformation that happened for Mr Mandela, and you are

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the best person to ask, what is your sense of how 27 years in jail

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changed this man? He used to talk about it quite a lot about how the

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patients he had -- about the patients he needed, that he was not

:23:28.:23:32.

always a patient man, and he was often irritated, because all of the

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time it would take so much time talking to one client, not making

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much money in the process, and he said being on Robben Island, having

:23:43.:23:46.

the time to read and think and contemplate and debate made him the

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person that he was, to read about the struggles of other people, and

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the stories of other leaders and what mistakes they had made. One of

:23:59.:24:02.

the striking things when I arrived on Robben Island was how keen they

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were to listen to those of buyers who were young at the time, coming

:24:08.:24:12.

forth, trying to understand our psychology, what issues concerned as

:24:13.:24:20.

most. And the generation that we were. Robben Island had a lot of

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input for him, and the character that he became. That was not

:24:28.:24:33.

something that came naturally, it was cultivated, part of preparing to

:24:34.:24:42.

lead a people. Fascinating to Torquay to -- to talk to you and, on

:24:43.:24:49.

today of all days, thank you. James Robbins is still here. The

:24:50.:24:54.

former correspondent in South Africa during that amend this time in the

:24:55.:25:01.

early 1990s. And one of our current correspondence now. She happens to

:25:02.:25:06.

be in London at this time. For you, you mentioned earlier on the power

:25:07.:25:11.

of the release of, and the fact that your mother was in tears when it

:25:12.:25:17.

happened, and you were a young girl trying to grasp the enormity of what

:25:18.:25:21.

was happening. Tell us today a full about the fact that this news

:25:22.:25:26.

clearly is going to mean a lot to most South Africans, but they had

:25:27.:25:31.

been expecting it for a long time. It is still a shock, and I want to

:25:32.:25:37.

talk about the kind of mood we are seeing. Looking at these images now,

:25:38.:25:43.

how would you describe to a UK audience why people would be dancing

:25:44.:25:47.

and celebrating as part of the response to this news? South

:25:48.:25:52.

Africans have always been described as a confused nation. When it comes

:25:53.:25:57.

to South Africans protesting, you will see chanting and dancing on the

:25:58.:26:01.

streets. When they are happy, the chant and dance and laugh and cry.

:26:02.:26:11.

That is the spirit of South Africa, which was also harnessed by

:26:12.:26:13.

President Nelson Mandela when he was preaching reconciliation. We are

:26:14.:26:18.

likely to hear a lot of songs that were being sung, even during

:26:19.:26:23.

apartheid, when Nelson Mandela was the leader of the armed struggle.

:26:24.:26:27.

Both in and out of South Africa, songs that pay tribute to Nelson

:26:28.:26:32.

Mandela, songs that they Nelson Mandela, -- that say to Nelson

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Mandela, there is no one like you. And there is no one item anywhere in

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South Africa. Look at Soweto, it is like a party. Underlined the

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importance of Soweto? We are seeing those streets, because he used to

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live on the streets, that house where people are celebrating and

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morning showing the tutors, that is the house that has been turned into

:27:07.:27:13.

a museum. -- celebrating and mourning. Not all South Africans can

:27:14.:27:19.

fit into a hospital waiting room, or where he has been taken, but a lot

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of, particularly black South Africans still living in townships

:27:26.:27:30.

like Soweto, that place holds significance for a lot of South

:27:31.:27:35.

Africans. Let us hold that thought, because we have been talking to some

:27:36.:27:38.

people in Johannesburg since this news was announced, and this is the

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kind of thing people are seeing there tonight. I am sad, but at the

:27:44.:27:50.

same time, he has had his part in life and he did it very well. It is

:27:51.:27:57.

fine that he goes, he did all he could, he was old, you know. It is a

:27:58.:28:04.

tragedy, and we have lost a great hero, and people will be upset. It

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is quite tragic, like being around the families and knowing that the

:28:11.:28:13.

person you have no knowledge of life has gone. That is how we feel right

:28:14.:28:19.

now. At the same time, we should celebrate what he has achieved and

:28:20.:28:24.

given as. I would not be free if it was not for him. What a powerful

:28:25.:28:33.

statement. Absolutely, and he said we should also celebrate. And those

:28:34.:28:39.

scenes on that street. That is where, within a few days of Nelson

:28:40.:28:42.

Mandela being released in prison, that is the one to which he

:28:43.:28:47.

returned, -- released from prison, that is where he returned, and gave

:28:48.:28:52.

his first interview to the BBC with me, within days of coming out of

:28:53.:28:56.

prison. It was a powerful symbol for him. He insisted he wanted to go

:28:57.:29:02.

back to Soweto, to his people. He did not want to put on the clothes

:29:03.:29:05.

of a leader, but be back amongst his people in the home that was

:29:06.:29:09.

important to him at the early stages of his life before going into prison

:29:10.:29:14.

for such a long time, though he renewed his connection with the

:29:15.:29:17.

people of South Africa, broken by that long imprisonment, and hugely

:29:18.:29:21.

symbolic, and strange to see that house, which is now a museum, but

:29:22.:29:28.

hardly surprising, and it is in a predominantly middle-class area of

:29:29.:29:33.

Soweto. In the 1990s, to me, when he came out of prison, that was not

:29:34.:29:38.

imaginable, because the black middle class was almost nonexistent. He and

:29:39.:29:42.

others around him is shared in the poverty of Soweto, because that was

:29:43.:29:47.

forced on them by apartheid. Job reservation, the insistence by white

:29:48.:29:50.

South Africa that black people could only have their jobs, could only

:29:51.:29:55.

have certain levels of education, the delivered minimisation of

:29:56.:29:58.

spending on black education, all things holding black South Africa

:29:59.:30:03.

back, he's so partly helped to change. -- so powerfully help to

:30:04.:30:16.

change. This is a special programme from BBC News, we are reporting

:30:17.:30:21.

about the death of Nelson Mandela at the age of 95. Many tributes have

:30:22.:30:28.

been paid. People want to underline their admiration and love for Nelson

:30:29.:30:31.

Mandela and what he has made to them, not just in South Africa but

:30:32.:30:36.

across the world. Our correspondent considers the people and the places

:30:37.:30:40.

which influenced Nelson Mandela and drove his struggle against the

:30:41.:30:48.

partied regime. -- the apartheid regime. His story is remarkable. Few

:30:49.:30:55.

in history have in history have injured oppression with such little

:30:56.:31:00.

rancour or overcome the oppressor with such little bloodshed. I,

:31:01.:31:09.

Nelson Mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the Republic of South

:31:10.:31:19.

Africa. In May 1994, Nelson Mandela, the man white South Africa had

:31:20.:31:23.

imprisoned for nearly 30 years, was sworn in as the first black

:31:24.:31:26.

president of the country. Through his courageous leadership the

:31:27.:31:32.

African National Congress had broken the stranglehold of partied and

:31:33.:31:37.

transformed South Africa into a multiracial democracy. -- of

:31:38.:31:44.

apartheid. Nelson Mandela was born in 1916 in the Eastern Cape of South

:31:45.:31:48.

Africa. He was the son of a tribal chief. He qualified as a lawyer and

:31:49.:31:55.

set up a partnership with a lifelong friend and ally, Oliver Tambo.

:31:56.:32:00.

Together they campaigned against apartheid, an exercise in social

:32:01.:32:05.

engineering under which the white minority in South Africa crushed the

:32:06.:32:11.

aspirations of the black jollity. Mandela was among activists to be

:32:12.:32:18.

charged of high treason. The trial lasted four years before the charges

:32:19.:32:24.

were dropped. The Sharpeville massacre in 1964 speed ANC to change

:32:25.:32:29.

strategy. The police opened fire on demonstrators. The ANC was outlawed

:32:30.:32:35.

and peaceful resistance became a thing of the past. Many people fear

:32:36.:32:43.

that it is useful and futile to continue a campaign of nonviolence

:32:44.:32:46.

against a current -- a government whose only reply is savage action

:32:47.:32:54.

against unarmed people. He undertook a campaign of sabotage against the

:32:55.:32:59.

state. He was eventually arrested and charged with conspiracy to

:33:00.:33:03.

overthrow the government. He made a three-hour speech from the Dock at

:33:04.:33:08.

his trial. This was his final plea for freedom and democracy for all

:33:09.:33:11.

South Africans will stop it was to a cold down the 27 years he remained a

:33:12.:33:15.

political prisoner. Sentenced to life imprisonment, he

:33:16.:33:47.

was sent to Robin Island, a top security prison in Table Bay in Cape

:33:48.:33:53.

Town. Photographs of them were banned from publication.

:33:54.:33:58.

Astonishingly, he was not embittered by his imprisonment. We are not

:33:59.:34:07.

conducting a struggle against individual whites. In the course of

:34:08.:34:15.

that struggle, we had formed friendships with people from the

:34:16.:34:20.

other side. Outside, time is running out for apartheid. With the ANC

:34:21.:34:26.

readership in jail, even the children in Soweto were helping to

:34:27.:34:30.

sustain the revolution. The hardline government tried to crush the

:34:31.:34:36.

uprising but gradually more liberal white people began to realise

:34:37.:34:40.

Mandela was the solution, not the problem. An international campaign

:34:41.:34:47.

was begun for the release of Nelson Mandela, as around the world,

:34:48.:34:51.

governments impose sanctions on South Africa. In 1919 80, President

:34:52.:35:01.

FW de Klerk announced the ANC would be on band. -- in 1990. Nelson

:35:02.:35:11.

Mandela taking the first three steps into democracy. Nelson Mandela

:35:12.:35:17.

walked to freedom with his then wife Winnie Mandela at his side. How soon

:35:18.:35:26.

turned to despair. Township islands had blacks fighting blacks. And

:35:27.:35:31.

Della repeatedly appealed for peace. Take your gun, your knife and throw

:35:32.:35:43.

them into the river. -- Nelson Mandela repeatedly appealed for

:35:44.:35:50.

peace. He cast his vote in the first multiracial elections. The result

:35:51.:35:57.

was a landslide for the ANC. Nelson Mandela was president of the new

:35:58.:36:05.

South Africa. Never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land

:36:06.:36:12.

will again experience the oppression of one by another. Three years

:36:13.:36:20.

later, Nelson Mandela gave up the presidency of the ANC in favour of

:36:21.:36:26.

Thabo Mbeki, who also succeeded him as head of state.

:36:27.:36:33.

Nelson Mandela was fated throughout the world, as here in London. There

:36:34.:36:43.

had been personal sadness. His long-time managed to Winnie, had

:36:44.:36:54.

ended. -- marriage. In 19 90, he married grass shell, the widow of

:36:55.:37:03.

the late president of was unbeaten. -- Graca Machel. He enjoyed family

:37:04.:37:12.

life which is long-term imprisonment had denied him. He visited Robben

:37:13.:37:19.

Island again. He lit a candle to symbolise reconciliation. It was

:37:20.:37:25.

passed to an African child to represent the hopes of the continent

:37:26.:37:30.

for the future, I hope inspired by the life and ideals of one of the

:37:31.:37:34.

truly great leaders of our time, Nelson Mandela.

:37:35.:37:43.

Nicholas Witchel on the remarkable life and times of Nelson Mandela.

:37:44.:37:51.

Let us stop to a professor from Johannesburg University. -- let us

:37:52.:37:58.

talk to. Thank you for joining us. I should ask you for your tribute and

:37:59.:38:02.

your thoughts tonight. It is a very poignant moments. Nelson Mandela was

:38:03.:38:08.

one of our most illustrious other night. He had spent many years

:38:09.:38:15.

there, with many of his contemporaries. They went on as a

:38:16.:38:21.

collective to transform our country and to do so in a way that could

:38:22.:38:27.

only be better. For most South Africans and especially students,

:38:28.:38:33.

staff and other night of this university it is a very sad moment.

:38:34.:38:39.

We are seeing lots of images of people in Johannesburg and in

:38:40.:38:42.

Soweto, of people who have gathered at the former family home. What do

:38:43.:38:50.

you think people want to see in the days and weeks that head, what kind

:38:51.:38:56.

of recognition and what kind of state formality would be like to see

:38:57.:39:01.

which would do justice to this man? I think what everybody would like to

:39:02.:39:07.

see is that the death of Nelson Mandela brings this country together

:39:08.:39:11.

like nothing else has. He is the one symbol which can unite South Africa

:39:12.:39:18.

in the way nothing else can. He can unite people across class, religion

:39:19.:39:22.

and race. In the days ahead you will see that. That is quite an elaborate

:39:23.:39:30.

system are to honour Nelson Mandela. It will be done officially through

:39:31.:39:37.

the union house. There will be a big memorial service in Johannesburg.

:39:38.:39:40.

There will be another big funeral service in the chance gal. -- in the

:39:41.:39:48.

Eastern Cape. We will see South Africans coming together in ways we

:39:49.:39:54.

have not seen before. You will see the world coming together because

:39:55.:40:00.

Nelson Mandela was the greatest son of South Africa, but he was also an

:40:01.:40:04.

icon for the world. Across the world, people involved in struggles

:40:05.:40:10.

against oppression and exploitation use him as a symbol to unite that

:40:11.:40:16.

struggle. We will see the world coming together to honour what is a

:40:17.:40:23.

magnificent life, a magnificent contribution not only to South

:40:24.:40:28.

Africa and the continent, but to the whole of humanity. As you speak

:40:29.:40:33.

recess, the British Foreign Secretary has offered his own

:40:34.:40:41.

tribute. # as you speak, Professor. He says his name will go down

:40:42.:40:46.

through the ages for his immense contribution to Africa and the world

:40:47.:40:51.

and his tireless work to peace and reconciliation. His example to us

:40:52.:40:54.

all of tireless courage and fortitude. What for you is the place

:40:55.:41:01.

in history that people should be recognising today? I think there are

:41:02.:41:08.

two things. One of the most striking things about him is that he gave up

:41:09.:41:12.

power after five years. He could have been a life president. After

:41:13.:41:19.

five years, he handed over power to Thabo Mbeki. He gave up the

:41:20.:41:25.

political presidency but he became a global icon and became a symbol for

:41:26.:41:30.

freedom across the world. That is what people should remember. He

:41:31.:41:33.

spent 27 years in prison and came out, at that point, he saw South

:41:34.:41:42.

Africa needed reconciliation. He stood up for reconciliation. He

:41:43.:41:47.

united South Africans. He gave South Africa the moment where it could

:41:48.:41:52.

route its democracy, that moment of peace which are loaded to avoid a

:41:53.:41:59.

civil war. It allowed it to establish a firm democracy. We have

:42:00.:42:03.

serious problems of inequality and poverty, we have serious

:42:04.:42:09.

challenges, but what is not questionable is the fact we will

:42:10.:42:11.

move forward as a stable political system. That possibility was

:42:12.:42:20.

bequeathed to us by Nelson Mandela. It was a pleasure to talk to you.

:42:21.:42:29.

Thank you very much. Thank you. We have had tributes from all around

:42:30.:42:35.

the world. No fewer than four former US Presidents have been paying

:42:36.:42:39.

tribute to Mr Mandela, to his achievements and his life. We are

:42:40.:42:45.

reporting here his death at the age of 95. President Jacob Zuma

:42:46.:42:50.

announced his death just a couple of hours ago, paying tribute to this

:42:51.:42:54.

remarkable contribution, not just to South Africa but to the cause of

:42:55.:43:01.

justice around the world. Former US presidents joining in the tributes.

:43:02.:43:08.

President Obamas, of course the first lack American president, has

:43:09.:43:16.

been expressing his feelings and paying his tribute to Nelson

:43:17.:43:21.

Mandela. At his trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela composed a statement

:43:22.:43:33.

saying, I have fought against white domination and black domination. I

:43:34.:43:39.

have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which

:43:40.:43:42.

all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is

:43:43.:43:47.

an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. If needs be, it is

:43:48.:43:53.

an ideal for which I am prepared to die. Nelson Mandela lived for that

:43:54.:44:01.

ideal and he made it real. He achieved more than could be expected

:44:02.:44:11.

of any man. Today he has gone home. We have lost one of the most

:44:12.:44:15.

influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that

:44:16.:44:19.

any of us will share time with on this earth. He no longer belongs to

:44:20.:44:26.

us. He belongs to the Angels. For his fears dignity and unbending will

:44:27.:44:32.

to sacrifice his own freedom for the sake of others, he transformed South

:44:33.:44:39.

Africa and moved all of us. His journey from a prisoner to a

:44:40.:44:43.

president embodied the promise that human beings and countries can

:44:44.:44:49.

change for the better. His commitment to transfer power, to

:44:50.:44:54.

reconcile with those who jailed him was an example that all humanity

:44:55.:45:03.

should aspire to. President Obama speaking at the White House in the

:45:04.:45:09.

last hour. Very keen to pages tribute to former president Mandela

:45:10.:45:15.

of South Africa. Tributes from all over the world. Including here in

:45:16.:45:22.

London as Prime Minister Cameron has been speaking in Downing Street

:45:23.:45:28.

tonight. One of the brightest lights of our world has gone out tonight.

:45:29.:45:33.

Nelson Mandela was not just the hero of our time, but I hero of all time.

:45:34.:45:41.

The first president of a free South Africa, a man who suffered so much

:45:42.:45:46.

for freedom and justice, and a man who, through his dignity and

:45:47.:45:52.

triumph, inspired millions. The strongest impression of all when you

:45:53.:45:57.

met him was of his extraordinary compassion and generosity and

:45:58.:46:02.

forgiveness. Tonight, families across Britain will mourn with his

:46:03.:46:07.

family and everyone in South Africa. Your greatest son has moved

:46:08.:46:13.

millions and I believe that his inspiration for the future will be

:46:14.:46:17.

every bit as parcel as the extraordinary things -- will be

:46:18.:46:22.

every bit as powerful as the extraordinary thing they achieved in

:46:23.:46:27.

his remarkable life. David Cameron speaking a short while ago. The Duke

:46:28.:46:32.

and Duchess of Cambridge have earlier this evening been attending

:46:33.:46:35.

the premiere of a film of Nelson Mandela's life. She time ago, they

:46:36.:46:44.

gave their reaction. -- short time ago. Sad and tragic news and we are

:46:45.:46:51.

reminded what an extraordinary and inspiring man he was. Thoughts and

:46:52.:46:54.

prayers are with his family right now. That was the brief but solemn

:46:55.:47:05.

response from the Duke and just -- Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

:47:06.:47:08.

attending that film premiere. All around the world, over the next 24

:47:09.:47:12.

hours, there will be moments of silence. People will want to reflect

:47:13.:47:17.

on the astonishing contribution and achievements of former President

:47:18.:47:22.

Mandela. This is what happened at the United Nations short while ago.

:47:23.:47:33.

-- a short while ago. Those gathered from nations all around the world,

:47:34.:47:36.

standing respectfully and with dignity in silence to mark the news

:47:37.:47:43.

that Nelson Mandela has passed away at the age of 95. Let us speak to

:47:44.:47:49.

someone who knows the Mandela family very well. On the line we have an

:47:50.:47:56.

opposition leader who knows the family and he is from the Eastern

:47:57.:47:59.

Cape, the area where Mr Mandela grew up and stop thank you so much for

:48:00.:48:03.

joining us. What are your thoughts tonight? We join the rest of the

:48:04.:48:13.

world in passing condolences to the Mandela family. He lived very well

:48:14.:48:25.

during his innings, Madiba, and when he said to as some years back, I

:48:26.:48:31.

think we were in London at the concert, it is now in your hands. We

:48:32.:48:41.

knew what that meant. It was a way forward. And we feel strongly that

:48:42.:48:52.

the teachings of Mandela should never be forgotten by this country,

:48:53.:49:02.

especially the discipline he displayed during the time he was in

:49:03.:49:06.

jail, during the time he was outside, but being consistent that

:49:07.:49:13.

his fighting for the quality of lives for South Africans. What has

:49:14.:49:20.

been your contact with the family in recent days? I was with the family

:49:21.:49:31.

earlier this afternoon and I had the privilege also of seeing Madiba,

:49:32.:49:46.

then I left and the family, you could see that they have no more or

:49:47.:49:55.

less accepted the reality. And when they said, in the last few days,

:49:56.:49:59.

that he was at peace, is that conclusion that you would also offer

:50:00.:50:05.

after your contact in the 24 hours? At peace? At least. -- at peace.

:50:06.:50:20.

Madiba, since he left hospital, he kept staying in his bed, kept quiet,

:50:21.:50:30.

all alone, and I do not think the family was wrong to say he was at.

:50:31.:50:40.

-- he was at peace. This afternoon, you could see he was struggling to

:50:41.:50:46.

breathe. You say you knew him and the family, and he was strong minded

:50:47.:50:50.

character, very strong willed, and lots of people describing this

:50:51.:50:55.

length of his character. What was your experience of that and how

:50:56.:50:58.

challenging could he be if he was very determined? Well, Madiba, I

:50:59.:51:07.

would say he was a courageous man, and when it was not fashionable, in

:51:08.:51:17.

the 1960s, he called for the ANC two embark on a struggle against

:51:18.:51:19.

apartheid, whilst others thought they could negotiate with the

:51:20.:51:26.

apartheid government. Later on, the same Madiba had the courage to say

:51:27.:51:32.

to stop fighting and to negotiate. Others were still keen to fight on.

:51:33.:51:40.

Really, this is the person who was taking decisions at critical times

:51:41.:51:49.

for the benefit of the country. This is Madiba who spoke directly to

:51:50.:51:56.

decision-makers. I remember actually talking about George Bush Snr, it

:51:57.:52:06.

was in 1992, when he called him with his authority to have -- authority

:52:07.:52:17.

to approach, asking George Bush to request his UN representative to

:52:18.:52:24.

endorse the resolution to send monitors to monitor violence in

:52:25.:52:29.

South Africa, before we left together from New York, he had got

:52:30.:52:35.

all the leaders and we knew that by the time we presented our case, that

:52:36.:52:43.

this request would be endorsed, so he was very authoritative, but with

:52:44.:52:54.

humility and also he connected with all kinds of people with ease,

:52:55.:52:59.

because he was not an assuming person. Thank you so much for

:53:00.:53:07.

spending time talking to us. Thank you. While he was sharing his views,

:53:08.:53:17.

we have been gathering some views in and around Johannesburg, where lots

:53:18.:53:21.

of people have been ready to talk and share their tributes and

:53:22.:53:24.

thoughts having him the news of his death. I am sad, but at the same

:53:25.:53:33.

time, I think he has had his part in life and he did it very well. It is

:53:34.:53:39.

fine that he goes. He did all he could, he was old, yeah. A real

:53:40.:53:46.

tragedy, we have lost a great hero in South Africa. Quite tragic. Like

:53:47.:53:54.

being around the family's home and that the person you know all your

:53:55.:53:59.

life has gone. It is tragic, sad, but I think we should celebrate what

:54:00.:54:03.

he has achieved and what he has given us. I would not be free if it

:54:04.:54:11.

was not for him. Such power and strength in those tributes, and

:54:12.:54:20.

there will be more. Just chatting there, and trying to get into the

:54:21.:54:25.

area of personality and strength, and the caller was being diplomatic,

:54:26.:54:28.

just wanting to reinforce and there are people who are big allies today

:54:29.:54:35.

who were maybe -- who maybe had big differences in the past? There were

:54:36.:54:43.

egg differences. -- there were big political differences. Those also

:54:44.:54:49.

led to President Mandela expelling some members. But there was still a

:54:50.:54:56.

connection. There was still a family connection. In the media, we have

:54:57.:55:03.

seen the fact that there are clashes between certain numbers members of

:55:04.:55:14.

the family. And one diplomatic person was the negotiator between

:55:15.:55:20.

the family and government for them to reconcile, going back to them,

:55:21.:55:27.

saying that Mandela is a brand, the family needs to emulate what Mandela

:55:28.:55:31.

stands for. That is what the family needs to see. And thoughts, now we

:55:32.:55:38.

are in the last few minutes of this part of the coverage, really as well

:55:39.:55:44.

about what Mr Mandela made of the South Africa that is to date, over

:55:45.:55:49.

20 years after he was released, and after his period in office, ending

:55:50.:55:54.

in the late 1990s, he made his views plain about some developments. What

:55:55.:55:58.

was his take on modern South Africa and was he overwhelmingly happy with

:55:59.:56:05.

the shape of it? We do not think he was overwhelmingly happy, but happy

:56:06.:56:09.

with the overriding truth of freedom. He could be very caustic.

:56:10.:56:17.

He spoke out famously when in London against President Mugabe in

:56:18.:56:19.

Zimbabwe, against many people he thought had abused power, and he was

:56:20.:56:26.

certainly privately very critical of some of the directions that his

:56:27.:56:30.

successors in the presidency led South Africa into. But very careful

:56:31.:56:34.

and cautious not to undermine them publicly, because as far as he was

:56:35.:56:38.

concerned, the important thing was that they had been elected in a

:56:39.:56:43.

proper, democratic process, unlike anything that could have happened if

:56:44.:56:47.

he had not brought it about. And we saw fleetingly the diplomats that

:56:48.:56:52.

the security council in the United Nations in New York standing around

:56:53.:56:55.

that table in tribute, silent tribute. That was a powerful piece

:56:56.:57:00.

of symbolism, not unprecedented, but very rear for such a thing to

:57:01.:57:07.

happen. -- very rare. Recognising, surely, a true peacemaker, when they

:57:08.:57:12.

are so often divided over issues of peace and war, not finding it

:57:13.:57:17.

difficult to unite behind the memory of Nelson Mandela. Thank you both

:57:18.:57:24.

for your company. Thank you for sharing your experiences. That is it

:57:25.:57:27.

from me, there is continuing coverage here on the BBC on the

:57:28.:57:32.

death of the former president Nelson Mandela, the first like presidents

:57:33.:57:37.

-- the first black president of South Africa. We leave you with

:57:38.:57:41.

images that defined a remarkable lifetime.

:57:42.:57:56.

There are many people who feel it is useless and futile for us to

:57:57.:58:02.

continue talking peace and nonviolence against the government

:58:03.:58:07.

whose reply is only savage attacks. One and an people -- on a non-armed

:58:08.:58:19.

and defenceless people. It is something for which I am prepared to

:58:20.:58:23.

die. One of the things that is difficult

:58:24.:58:27.

for me to comprehend is that I spent such a long time here.

:58:28.:58:35.

There is Mr Mandela, Mr Nelson Mandela, after the man that backdrop

:58:36.:58:44.

a free man. We have realised our greatest team of being free at last.

:58:45.:58:52.

In our own country. Never, never, and never again, shall

:58:53.:59:03.

aid the that this beautiful land shall again experience the operation

:59:04.:59:11.

of one by another. It is time for a new heads to lift

:59:12.:59:25.

the Burtons. It is in your hands now. -- left the burdens.

:59:26.:59:27.

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