The life and legacy of the former South African President served as an inspiration not only for his country but for the entire world.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday told thousands at the memorial service of the late Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg that ‘this grandest of all baobab trees left deep roots that reach across the planet’, UN News Digest reported.
He said Nelson ‘Mandela was more than one of the greatest leaders of our time, one of the greatest teachers and taught by example.’
The UN Chief added that the late Mandela sacrificed so much and was willing to give up everything for freedom, equality, democracy and justice.
The Secretary-General said ‘Nelson Mandela showed us the way with a heart larger than this stadium and an infectious smile that could easily power its lights. In fact, it lit up the world.’
He added that ‘it is the duty of all of us who loved him to keep his memory alive in our hearts, and to embody his example in our lives.’
Nelson Mandela known as Madiba, died last Thursday at the age of 95 was the first democratically-elected President of South Africa, human rights lawyer, prisoner of conscience and Nobel Peace Prize winner.