South Africans are today commemorating the 10 years without Nelson Mandela, the first President of South Africa to be elected in a fully representative democratic election who died on 5th December, 2013.
Africa Today News, New York recalls the legendary statesman died at the age of 95 after a brief illness and after spending time in the hospital.
At the memorial service for Nelson Mandela conducted in South Africa on December 10, 2013, the then-President of the United States, Barack Obama, inspired millions of spectators and almost a hundred visiting leaders of state to follow in the footsteps of ‘the last great liberator of the 20th century.’
However, the presence of a sign-language interpreter, whom deaf advocates claimed was an imposter swinging his arms pointlessly, tainted the ceremony.
Ten years after, the ‘fabled’ man who is widely regarded as the big ‘destroyer’ of apartheid remains a global icon, but in South Africa some say it is time to end Mandela-mania.
A nine-metre tall (30-foot) statue of Mandela, his arms outstretched, watches over Pretoria from the Union Buildings government headquarters.
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There are at least 50 other major statues, busts and murals devoted to him in South Africa and around the world, from London to the occupied West Bank, according to the Mandela Foundation.
Mandela is featured on national banknotes and his “Long Walk To Freedom” autobiography remains one of the best-selling books worldwide of all time.
Robben Island, Mandela’s jail for 27 years, is among South Africa’s top tourist attractions.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the standing of the political giant, widely known by his clan name of “Madiba”, is so great that many people watching the sorry state of South Africa’s economy and politics ask “what would ‘Madiba’ think if he were still here.”