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The White House said President Barack Obama and Cuba’s President Raul Castro’s handshake at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was unplanned.
White House aide Ben Rhodes told reporters the two exchanged no words more substantive than a greeting.
The Cuban government said the gesture may show the “beginning of the end of the US aggressions”.
The US broke off diplomatic ties with Cuba in 1961 as Fidel Castro aligned with the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
On Tuesday, after the handshake, a White House official said the Obama administration still had grave concerns about human rights violations in Cuba, Reuters reported.
Republicans on Capitol Hill were quick to condemn the gesture, with one Republican congresswoman chiding the move during a unrelated hearing on Tuesday.
The White House said President Barack Obama and Cuba’s President Raul Castro’s handshake at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was unplanned
“Sometimes a handshake is just a handshake, but when the leader of the free world shakes the bloody hand of a ruthless dictator like Raul Castro, it becomes a propaganda coup for the tyrant,” Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is known for her opposition to the Castro government, told Secretary of State John Kerry.
“Could you please tell the Cuban people living under that repressive regime that, a handshake notwithstanding, the US policy toward the cruel and sadistic Cuban dictatorship has not weakened.”
The last US president to shake a Cuban leader’s hand was President Bill Clinton, who greeted President Fidel Castro, Raul’s brother and predecessor, at a 2000 UN General Assembly meeting.
Under President Barack Obama, the US has eased restrictions on Cuban-Americans travelling to the island and on remittances between family members across the two countries.
But the gradual thaw has been disrupted by the detention in Cuba of a US contractor.
Alan Gross, 64, was arrested four years ago while on a project to provide internet access to Cuba’s small Jewish community.
On the fourth anniversary of his arrest, Alan Gross wrote to Barack Obama to say he feared the US government had “abandoned” him, and asked the US president to intervene personally to help win his release.
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Nelson Mandela memorial service is one of the largest gatherings of its kind in generations.
Tens of thousands of mourners and almost 100 foreign leaders attended the event at the FNB stadium in Johannesburg.
World leaders attending Nelson Mandela’s memorial service:
– US President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as well as former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter
– UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his predecessor Kofi Annan.
– UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Labour Party leader Ed Miliband
– French President Francois Hollande and his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy
– German President Joachim Gauck
– Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe
– Cuban President Raul Castro
– Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff
– Indian President Pranab Mukherjee
Nelson Mandela memorial service is one of the largest gatherings of its kind in generations
– Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba
– Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao
– President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas
– Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta
– Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
– Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Prince Felipe
– Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott
– Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta
– Afghan President Hamid Karzai
– Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain
– Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa
– The Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander and Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans
– Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon and Prime Minister Erna Solberg
– European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Union Council President Herman Van Rompuy
– Top Vatican official Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana
– British entrepreneur Richard Branson
– US talk show host Oprah Winfrey
– U2 singer and activist Bono
– Musician Peter Gabriel, who brought the idea of The Elders – a group of former leaders – to Nelson Mandela
– British Model Naomi Campbell
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Thousands of South Africans have joined dozens of world leaders for the national memorial service for Nelson Mandela.
The service is being held in front of a vociferous crowd in the FNB stadium in Johannesburg.
President Barack Obama said Nelson Mandela was a “giant of history”, adding: “The world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us.”
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president died last Thursday, aged 95.
South Africa is observing a series of commemorations leading up to the funeral on Sunday.
The memorial service is one of the biggest gatherings of international dignitaries in recent years.
There had been fears people would be turned away, but the heavy rain left areas of the 95,000 capacity stadium empty.
Introducing the proceedings, the master of ceremonies, Cyril Ramaphosa, said that Nelson Mandela’s “long walk is over… and he can finally rest”.
The first speaker, friend and fellow Robben Island inmate Andrew Mlangeni, said Neslon Mandela had “created hope when there was none”.
Barack Obama delivered his address, carried on the White House web site, to huge cheers. He said: “It is hard to eulogize any man… how much harder to do so for a giant of history, who moved a nation towards justice.”
President Barack Obama said Nelson Mandela was a “giant of history”
He said Nelson Mandela had taught the world the power of action and the power of ideas, and that it had taken a man like Mandela to free not only the prisoner but also the jailer.
Barack Obama said: “We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. While I will always fall short of Madiba [Nelson Mandela’s clan name], he makes me want to be a better man.”
On his way to the podium, Barack Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro, an unprecedented gesture between the leaders of two nations that have been at loggerheads for more than half a century.
In his address, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said there was “sorrow for a mighty loss and celebration of a mighty life”.
Ban Ki-moon said: “South Africa has lost a hero, it has lost a father… He was one of our greatest teachers. He taught by example. He sacrificed so much and was willing to give up all he had for freedom and democracy.”
Nelson Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, arrived at the stadium to huge cheers as she was shown on the big screen.
There were cheers too of “Winnie! Winnie!” for ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who hugged and kissed Graca Machel.
However, there were boos for current President Jacob Zuma.
He will make the keynote address. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao, President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee are also making speeches.
Raul Castro will also speak, reflecting the fact that under his brother, Fidel, Cuba was a staunch critic of apartheid, and Nelson Mandela had expressed gratitude for that support.
The memorial service, which had been due to start at 11:00, will last about four hours, according to the official programme.
Correspondents say that the heavy rain, security and transport issues and the fact that Tuesday was not declared a national holiday have kept the numbers down.
Nelson Mandela’s body will lie in state in Pretoria on the following three days and a state funeral takes place on Sunday in his home village of Qunu in Eastern Cape province.
More than 100 current or former heads of state or government will attend the funeral or the national memorial, according to the South African government.
Among those not attending the memorial events will be Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who cited high travel and security costs.
However, there will be suspicion that he wishes to avoid the potential for anti-Israeli protests.
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South Africa’s parliament is meeting in special session to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela.
The country is observing a series of commemorations over the next week, leading up to the funeral on Sunday, December 15.
More than 100 current or former heads of state or government are expected to attend the funeral or Tuesday’s national memorial.
The foreign ministry says that 91 current heads of state or government have confirmed they are coming to South Africa, along with “10 former heads of state, 86 heads of delegations and 75 eminent persons”.
Presidents Barack Obama and Francois Hollande along with UK’s PM David Cameron will be among those attending Tuesday’s memorial.
Three former US presidents, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, will also be there.
On Saturday, Cuban state media announced that President Raul Castro would be one of those attending Nelson Mandela’s funeral.
South Africa’s parliament is meeting in special session to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela
Under Raul Castro’s brother Fidel, Cuba was a staunch critic of apartheid, and Nelson Mandela had expressed gratitude for his support.
Tuesday’s memorial service is likely to be one of the biggest such gatherings of international dignitaries in recent years.
Among those on the list are UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, German President Joachim Gauck, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Crown Prince Felipe of Spain.
World leaders, global figures and celebrities will join 95,000 ordinary South Africans at the memorial service at FNB stadium in Soweto, where Nelson Mandela made his final major public appearance during the 2010 football World Cup.
Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and India’s President Pranab Mukherjee will also be coming.
Leading celebrities in the anti-apartheid movement Peter Gabriel and Bono are also expected to attend.
Nelson Mandela’s body will lie in state in Pretoria on the following three days and he will be given a state funeral on Sunday.
A smaller number of international dignitaries including the Prince of Wales will attend the burial in the Eastern Cape village of Qunu, where the late president grew up.
Mourners have gathered every day outside Nelson Mandela’s house in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton.
Well wishers have lit candles there and laid thousands of wreaths of flowers at Nelson Mandela’s old home in Soweto.
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Makaziwe Mandela has described the final hours of her father Nelson Mandela, who died aged 95 on December 5.
In an interview with BBC, Makaziwe Mandela revealed the former president’s wife Graca, the children and grandchildren were there “even at the last moment”.
Makaziwe Mandela said: “Until the last moment he had us, you know… The children were there, the grandchildren were there, Graca was there, so we are always around him and even at the last moment, we were sitting with him on Thursday the whole day.
“I think from last week, Friday until Thursday, it was a wonderful time, if you can say the process of death is wonderful. But Tata [Nelson Mandela] had a wonderful time, because we were there.
Makaziwe Mandela has described the final hours of her father Nelson Mandela
“When the doctors told us I think Thursday morning… that there was nothing that they could do, and said to me <<Maki call everybody that is here that wants to see him and say bye bye>>, it was a most wonderful day for us because the grandchildren were there, we were there.”
Makaziwe Mandela paid tribute to the doctors for the 24-hour care.
Nelson Mandela’s daughter said: “It was like there were soldiers guarding this period of the king – yes my father comes from royalty – without them knowing they were actually practicing our rituals and culture, they were there in silence and when we as family members come in they would excuse themselves and just a few of them would be there to give us the time to be around my dad’s bed.”
Makaziwe Mandela said that, for the past few months, she would tell her father that she loved him and that would see him again tomorrow.
“And maybe he would open his eyes for just a second and close those eyes,” she said.
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Frozen has topped the US box office chart in its second week of release.
According to early estimates, Frozen took $31.6 million over the weekend, with the Hunger Games: Catching Fire sequel slipping to second place with $27 million.
The only new wide release was Out of the Furnace, which took $5.3 million to earn third place.
The steel-town drama stars Christian Bale and Casey Affleck.
Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World and Vince Vaughn’s Delivery Man rounded out the top five.
Despite opening in just four cinemas the Coen brothers’ latest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, scored one of the year’s highest per-cinema averages, taking $100,500.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom continued to play in four cinemas in its second week of limited release, averaging $19,400 per cinema.
Frozen has topped the US box office chart in its second week of release
Producer Harvey Weinstein has said he will not alter the film’s release date to take advantage of Nelson Mandela’s death to boost sales for his biopic.
The film is due to be rolled out to about 850 cinemas on Christmas Day.
With Oscar season approaching, the website stated Weinstein was “keen to shun” any suggestions he had acquired the film recently “with an eye to Mandela being close to his demise”, adding he had acquired the rights to make it in 1999.
The weekend was typically quiet placed between Thanksgiving and Christmas, however takings were still up 16.9% on last year.
Next week sees the release of Peter Jackson’s second Hobbit film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of the Smaug.
The first, An Unexpected Journey, debuted with $84.6 million last year.
North American box office Top 5:
1. Frozen – $31.6 million
2. Hunger Games: Catching Fire – $27 million
3. Out of the Furnace – $5.3 million
4. Thor: The Dark World – $4.7 million
5. Delivery Man – $3.8 million
Source: Hollywood.com
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More than 60 international leaders have announced they will take part in the memorial service or state funeral of Nelson Mandela, South Africa says.
Barack Obama, Francois Hollande and UK’s PM David Cameron will be among those attending Tuesday’s memorial at a Soweto stadium.
South Africa’s first black president died on Thursday and the nation has held a day of prayer and reflection.
Mourners in their millions visited places of worship and community halls.
At Soweto’s Regina Mundi Catholic Church, a centre of the anti-apartheid struggle, the priest Sebastian Roussouw said the late leader had been “a light in the darkness”.
Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, was among the congregation at the Bryanston Methodist church in Johannesburg, where President Jacob Zuma urged South Africans not to forget the values he had stood for.
In Cape Town, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba said Nelson Mandela was a powerful and continuing reminder that individuals have the power to make change happen in the world.
Over the next eight days, a series of events will commemorate the man who steered their country out of white-minority rule.
More than 60 international leaders have announced they will take part in the memorial service or state funeral of Nelson Mandela
Heads of state and government, global figures and celebrities will join 95,000 ordinary South Africans at the memorial service at FNB stadium in Soweto, where Nelson Mandela made his final major public appearance during the 2010 football World Cup.
The event is likely to be one of the biggest such gatherings of international dignitaries in recent years. The government said 59 leaders had so far confirmed they would be attending: an indication of the special place Nelson Mandela held in people’s hearts across the world, officials say.
Among those on the list are UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, German President Joachim Gauck, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Crown Prince Felipe of Spain.
Three former US presidents, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, will join President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and India’s Pranab Mukherjee will also be there. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has not yet confirmed whether he will travel.
Leading celebrities in the anti-apartheid movement Peter Gabriel and Bono are also expected to attend as are former international leaders such as Marti Ahtisaari who, along with Nelson Mandela, were part of a group known as The Elders, promoting peace and human rights.
Nelson Mandela’s body will lie in state in Pretoria on the following three days and he will be given a state funeral on Sunday, 15 December.
A smaller number of international dignitaries including the Prince of Wales will attend the burial in the Eastern Cape village of Qunu, where the late president grew up.
While Tuesday’s memorial service will clearly be a big organizational challenge, the state funeral will be a greater logistical one because of its rural remoteness.
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South African people are taking part in a day of “prayer and reflection” for late ex-President Nelson Mandela.
President Jacob Zuma will attend a service in a Methodist church in Johannesburg, with other multi-faith services planned throughout the day.
A national memorial service will be held on Tuesday, ahead of a state funeral on December 15.
South Africans have been holding vigils since Nelson Mandela died on Thursday at the age of 95.
Jacob Zuma urged South Africans to go to stadiums, halls, churches, and other places of worship on Sunday to remember their former leader.
South African people are taking part in a day of “prayer and reflection” for late ex-President Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela’s successor as president, Thabo Mbeki, will attend a service at the Oxford Shul synagogue in Johannesburg in the afternoon.
Other senior politicians and ANC officials will go to services across the city, and the country.
Nelson Mandela’s body will lie in state on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the heart of the South African government in Pretoria.
Members of the public have been encouraged to line the route and form a “guard of honor” when his remains are taken to the site.
A funeral cortege bearing his body is to travel through the streets of Pretoria for three consecutive days before his burial next Sunday.
On Saturday it was announced that President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will attend Tuesday’s memorial service, along with three other former US presidents, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
One government minister has predicted the 95,000-seat stadium being used for the event will be overwhelmed, and promised that overflow areas would be set up.
On Saturday Nelson Mandela’s family gave their first public statement since his death, describing the difficulty of the past two days and the week ahead.
Family spokesman Lt Gen Matanzima likened Nelson Mandela to a baobab tree that had provided shade and protection to his family.
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Barack and Michelle Obama will travel to South Africa to attend the memorial service for Nelson Mandela on Tuesday.
The memorial service on Tuesday, December 10, is part of a week of official observances that will culminate in a state funeral a week from Sunday.
Barack Obama will travel to South Africa to attend the memorial service for Nelson Mandela
The official events honoring Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday, December 5, at the age of 95, begin on Sunday, when the government will observe a national day of prayer and reflection.
On Sunday, December 15, a funeral service and interment ceremony will take place at Nelson Mandela’s home and final resting place at Qunu in the Eastern Cape.
The South Africa’s government has released an updated schedule of official observances in honor of Nelson Mandela, culminating in a state funeral a week from Sunday.
Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane released the new details and said that the government would work closely with Nelson Mandela’s family “to ensure that all events conform to the family’s wishes and are culturally compliant”.
The official events honoring Mandela begin on Sunday, December 8, when the government will observe a national day of prayer and reflection “in which South Africans will celebrate the life of Mandela and his legacy in places of worship, homes and communities”, Collins Chabane said.
Nelson Mandela’s funeral service and interment ceremony will take place at his home
On Tuesday, December 10, an official memorial service for Nelson Mandela will be held at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, also known as the Soccer City stadium, the site of the 2010 World Cup final. The ceremony will be attended by members of the public and by a number of visiting heads of state and government, though Collins Chabane said the list of world leaders that would attend had not yet been finalized.
Nelson Mandela’s body will lie in state in an open casket at the Union Buildings, the official seat of the South African government, from Wednesday through Friday, with viewing open to “South Africans and selected international visitors and guests”, Collins Chabane said.
He also said Nelson Mandela’s remains would be transported daily between a nearby military hospital and the Union Buildings. South Africans wishing to view the late president’s remains will be shuttled from two yet-to-be named locations to the Unions Building.
On Saturday, December 14, Nelson Mandela’s body will be moved to the Eastern Cape province, where members of the ruling African National Congress party will bid him farewell. Later, a procession will take place from Mthatha to Qunu, where the Thembu community, of which Nelson Mandela was a member, will conduct a traditional ceremony.
On Sunday, December 15, a funeral service and interment ceremony will take place at Nelson Mandela’s home and final resting place at Qunu in the Eastern Cape.
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The South African government has announced that a funeral cortege bearing Nelson Mandela’s body will travel through the streets of Pretoria daily on three days before his burial next Sunday.
The government said the cortege will leave a morgue on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning to go to the Union Buildings where his body will lie in state.
Mourners are being encouraged to line the route.
Meanwhile, vigils for the former leader are continuing across South Africa.
Hundreds of mourners have gathered outside Nelson Mandela’s home in Johannesburg’s northern suburb of Houghton where he died, and thousands of flowers and candles have been laid outside.
Nelson Mandela – South Africa’s first black president – died on Thursday evening aged 95.
A funeral cortege bearing Nelson Mandela’s body will travel through the streets of Pretoria daily on three days before his burial
On Saturday, the government published further details of the 10-day state funeral, saying as many people as possible would be given the opportunity to pay their last respects.
On Tuesday, an official memorial service will be held at the FNB Stadium on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
When the three days of lying in state are over, Nelson Mandela’s body will then be flown from an air force base in Pretoria to Qunu in the Eastern Cape for burial.
Qunu is where Nelson Mandela grew up and later retired to.
Flags at all official buildings will fly at half mast throughout the period and books of condolence are being circulated across the country and online for people to post tributes, record memories and express their emotions.
Sunday has been designated an official day of prayer and reflection and President Jacob Zuma urged South Africans to go to stadiums, halls, churches, temples or synagogues.
“We should, while mourning, also sing at the top of our voices, dance and do whatever we want to do, to celebrate the life of this outstanding revolutionary who kept the spirit of freedom alive and led us to a new society. Let us sing for Madiba,” Jacob Zuma said, using Nelson Mandela’s clan name.
Meanwhile, a government statement recalled Nelson Mandela’s own thoughts when asked how he wished to be remembered.
“It would be very egotistical of me to say how I would like to be remembered,” Nelson Mandela said.
“I’d leave that entirely to South Africans. I would just like a simple stone on which is written, <<Mandela>>.”
Nelson Mandela is to be accorded a state funeral on Sunday, December 15, South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma announced.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, died on Thursday, December 5, aged 95.
Hundreds are gathered outside Nelson Mandela’s home in Johannesburg’s northern suburb of Houghton, where he died.
They have been sharing memories of the former leader, recounting how they drew inspiration from his life.
A stage has been erected near the house, from where priests have led the crowd in prayers.
One of his grandsons. Mbuso Mandela, laid wreaths in his grandfather’s memory.
President Jacob Zuma visited the house in the early afternoon to pay his respects.
Nelson Mandela is to be accorded a state funeral on Sunday, December 15
At a news conference on Friday afternoon, Jacob Zuma outlined a week of events to mourn the former president.
- Sunday, December 8, will be an official day of prayer and reflection with special religious services
- On Tuesday, December 10, a service of national mourning will be held at a 95,000-seater stadium on the outskirts of Johannesburg
- Nelson Mandela’s body will lie in state from Wednesday to Friday in the capital, Pretoria
Next Sunday’s funeral will be held in the village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape, where Nelson Mandela grew up. South African Airways has announced that it will provide extra flights to Qunu for mourners.
Hundreds have attended an interfaith remembrance service outside Cape Town’s City Hall. The Johannesburg stock exchange suspended operations for five minutes on Friday as a mark of respect.
The White House has announced that President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be travelling to South Africa next week to pay their respects and take part in memorial events.
Flags are flying at half-mast on government buildings in Washington DC, Paris and across South Africa. The European Union and world football body FIFA have also ordered their flags to be lowered.
Parliament in Pretoria is expected to hold a special joint session to reflect on Nelson Mandela’s life and legacy.
Nelson Mandela died on Thursday, December 5, shortly before 21:00 local time.
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Flags were lowered to half mast and people across South Africa commemorated Nelson Mandela with song, tears and prayers on Friday.
Meanwhile as the South African government prepared funeral ceremonies that will draw leaders and other dignitaries from around the globe.
A black SUV-type vehicle containing Nelson Mandela’s coffin, draped in South Africa’s flag, pulled away from his home after midnight, escorted by military motorcycle outriders, to take the body to a military morgue in Pretoria, the capital.
People across South Africa commemorated Nelson Mandela with song, tears and prayers
Many South Africans heard the news of his death, which was announced just before midnight, upon waking Friday, and they flocked to his home in Johannesburg’s leafy Houghton neighborhood.
In a church service in Cape Town, retired archbishop Desmond Tutu said Nelson Mandela, who became South Africa’s first black president, would want South Africans themselves to be his “memorial” by adhering to the values of unity and democracy that he embodied.
“All of us here in many ways amazed the world, a world that was expecting us to be devastated by a racial conflagration,” Desmond Tutu said, recalling how Nelson Mandela helped unite South Africa as it dismantled apartheid, the cruel system of white rule, and prepared for all-race elections in 1994.
Nelson Mandela, also known by his clan name Madiba, was a “very human person” with a sense of humor who took interest in people around him, said Frederik Willem de Klerk, South Africa’s last apartheid-era president. The two men negotiated the end of apartheid, finding common cause in often tense circumstances, and shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
In summarizing Nelson Mandela’s legacy, F.W. de Klerk told eNCA television: “Never and never again should there be in South Africa the suppression of anyone by another.”
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Kate Middleton attended the UK premiere of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom on December 5 wearing a gown that was already in her closet and a Zara statement necklace that cost less than $36.
The necklace, made up of five rows of clear crystal beads, is sold at Zara and retails for just 20 pounds, ($35.90).
Kate Middleton attended the UK premiere of Mandela movie wearing a gown that was already in her closet and a Zara statement necklace that cost less than $36
Kate Middleton, 31, paired the necklace with a cream-colored Roland Mouret “Lombard” dress.
The UK premiere of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – based on the life of Nelson Mandela — coincided with the death of the first black president of South Africa.
Nelson Mandela died yesterday at the age of 95.
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Nelson Mandela – South Africa’s first black president – has died at the age of 95, President Jacob Zuma announces.
Nelson Mandela led South Africa’s transition from white-minority rule in the 1990s, after 27 years in prison.
He had been receiving intense home-based medical care for a lung infection after three months in hospital.
Nelson Mandela was South Africa’s first black president
In a statement on South African national TV, Jacob Zuma said Nelson Mandela had “departed” and was at peace.
“Our nation has lost its greatest son,” Jacob Zuma said.
Nelson Mandela was one of the world’s most revered statesmen after preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate had rarely been seen in public since officially retiring in 2004.
“What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves,” Jacob Zuma said.
“Fellow South Africans, Nelson Mandela brought us together and it is together that we will bid him farewell.”
Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected South Africa’s first black president in 1994. He stepped down after five years in office.
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Nelson Mandela is putting up a courageous fight from his “deathbed”, his daughter Makaziwe Mandela says.
Makaziwe Mandela told national broadcaster SABC that the anti-apartheid icon was “still with us, strong, courageous”.
“Even for a lack of a better word… on his deathbed he is teaching us lessons – lessons in patience, in love, lessons of tolerance,” she added.
Nelson Mandela, 95, is receiving home-based medical care.
He was discharged from hospital in September after being treated for nearly three months for a recurring lung infection.
Nelson Mandela is receiving home-based medical care
Nelson Mandela is widely respected for his role in fighting racism in South Africa, and for forgiving his former white captors after his release from prison in 1990.
He spent 27 years in jail and was elected South Africa’s first black president in 1994. He stepped down after five years in office.
“Every moment I get with him I’m amazed,” Makaziwe Mandela told SABC.
“There are times where I have to pinch myself that I come from this man who is a fighter even though you can see he is struggling, but the fighting spirit is still there with him.”
Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Ndaba Mandela, told SABC that the ex-president was “not doing well in bed”.
Last month, Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela said he was no longer talking “because of all the tubes that are in his mouth to clear [fluid from] the lungs”.
The South African presidency has repeatedly described Nelson Mandela’s condition as critical but stable.
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Nelson Mandela is still unable to speak but uses facial expressions to communicate, the former South African president’s ex-wife has told a local newspaper.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela said Nelson Mandela, 95, remained “quite ill” but she dismissed speculation that he was on a life support machine.
In September, Nelson Mandela returned home after nearly three months in hospital with a recurring lung infection.
The government has said his condition is critical and sometimes unstable.
He is no longer talking “because of all the tubes that are in his mouth to clear [fluid from] the lungs”, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela told South Africa’s Sunday Independent newspaper.
Nelson Mandela is still unable to speak but uses facial expressions to communicate
“He can’t actually articulate anything… He communicates with the face, you see. But the doctors have told us they hope to recover his voice.”
“I have heard this nonsense that he is on life support – he is not,” Winnie Madikizela-Mandela added.
“It is difficult for him. He remains very sensitive to any germs, so he has to be kept literally sterile. The bedroom there is like an ICU [intensive care unit] ward.”
Nelson Mandela has been receiving intensive care at his home in a suburb of Johannesburg, which has been specially adapted for his care.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate is revered around the world for leading the fight against white minority rule and preaching reconciliation with the white community despite being imprisoned for 27 years.
Correspondents say the presidency has been keen to reassure not just the Mandela family but the nation that he is no more vulnerable at home than in hospital. It has called for Nelson Mandela’s privacy and dignity to be respected.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, a Nelson Mandela biopic presented at Toronto Film Festival, does not shy away from the less flattering aspects of his character, according to British star Idris Elba.
“It was important we had both sides, the good and the bad,” said Idris Elba.
Early scenes in Justin Chadwick’s film show Nelson Mandela as a womanizer who was violent to his first wife Evelyn.
“I didn’t want to deface Mr. Mandela in any way,” Idris Elba continued.
“But I didn’t want to portray him in a way that wasn’t honest.”
Idris Elba was speaking at the Toronto Film Festival, where Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom had its world premiere this weekend.
Based on the former South African president’s autobiography, the film charts his early life as a lawyer, his political activism and the 27 years of imprisonment that preceded his democratic election in 1994.
Naomie Harris plays Nelson Mandela’s second wife Winnie in Justin Chadwick’s two-and-a-half hour drama.
Nelson Mandela new biopic does not shy away from the less flattering aspects of the character
The film has had a mixed reception from critics, with one calling it “more dutifully reverential than revelatory or exciting”.
“We’ve seen the saintly Mandela we all know and love,” continued Idris Elba, who did not meet “Madiba” before embarking on the project.
“It was important for us to take the audience on a journey prior to that and understand who he was.”
Nelson Mandela, now 95, was released from hospital last week after three months of treatment for a recurring lung infection.
“Like everybody I’ve been very concerned for his health but I’ve been keeping optimistic,” Idris Elba told reporters on Sunday.
According to Justin Chadwick, Idris Elba was the right person for the biopic despite being from England and bearing little physical resemblance to its subject.
“There were other obvious choices, but Idris was the brave choice,” he said.
“He doesn’t look like Madiba, but we weren’t going for a lookalike, soundalike version.”
“Idris managed to capture the Mandela magic,” agreed Terry Pheto, the South African actress who plays Evelyn in the film.
Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, David Harewood and Sidney Poitier are among the others to have portrayed Nelson Mandela on film and television.
Idris Elba, whose other films include summer blockbusters Thor and Pacific Rim, has been singled out for praise by critics who have seen the film in Toronto.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is one of several Toronto titles this year to draw their inspiration from real-life figures.
Julian Assange, Jimi Hendrix and Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts also feature in films in this year’s line-up.
The launch of Justin Chadwick’s film coincides with the UK release of Diana, a biographical drama about Princess Diana, that drew a withering response from the British media.
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Former US President George H.W. Bush prematurely announced Nelson Mandela’s death on Sunday morning.
The mix-up happened when George H.W. Bush’s spokesman Jim McGrath misread a Washington Post news flash.
“The 41 stmnt sent this morning was the result of my mis-reading the header on the WaPo news flash. Stupid mistake by me. Apologies to all,” Jim McGrath tweeted Sunday morning.
The original statement read: “Barbara and I mourn the passing of one of the greatest believers in freedom we have had the privilege to know. As President, I watched in wonder as Nelson Mandela had the remarkable capacity to forgive his jailers following 26 years of wrongful imprisonment – setting a powerful example of redemption and grace for us all. He was a man of tremendous moral courage, who changed the course of history in his country. Barbara and I had great respect for President Mandela, and send our condolences to his family and countrymen.”
The South African presidency corrected the statement, saying former President Nelson Mandela is still alive.
Former President George H.W. Bush announced Nelson Mandela’s death after his spokesman misread news flash
“It is clearly incorrect. We see it as an error on his side” and aren’t going to “make a big deal about it” presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said.
Nelson Mandela was discharged from the hospital Sunday after initially being admitted in June for a lung infection. He is still in critical condition.
South Africa’s first black president was taken by ambulance to his home in Johannesburg which has been set up to provide intensive care.
In a statement, the South African government said: “Madiba’s condition remains critical and is at times unstable.
“Nevertheless, his team of doctors are convinced that he will receive the same level of intensive care at his Houghton home that he received in Pretoria.”
George H.W. Bush, 89, is also dealing with health problems of his own.
He was unable to attend the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial last Wednesday because his old age has confined him to a wheelchair.
Jim McGrath told the LA Times that he is “unable to participate in events like this anymore due to his mobility situation”.
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Former South African President Nelson Mandela has left a Pretoria hospital and has gone to his Johannesburg home, where he is continuing to receive intensive care, the presidency says on its website.
The announcement came a day after officials denied reports that Nelson Mandela, 95, had already been discharged.
The presidency’s statement says Nelson Mandela’s condition remains critical and at times unstable.
South Africa’s first democratically elected president has been in hospital since June with a lung infection.
Nelson Mandela, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is revered around the world for leading the fight against white minority rule and preaching reconciliation with the white community despite being imprisoned for 27 years.
“His team of doctors are convinced that he will receive the same level of intensive care at his Houghton home that he received in Pretoria [hospital],” the statement from President Jacob Zuma’s says.
It adds that Nelson Mandela’s home in the suburb of Houghton has been “reconfigured to allow him to receive intensive care there” and he will be treated by the same health care personnel who have been looking after him since June 8.
Nelson Mandela has left a Pretoria hospital and has gone to his Johannesburg home
If necessary, he will be readmitted to hospital, the presidency says.
Despite his various illnesses, the statement from Jacob Zuma’s office notes, the former president had displayed “immense grace and fortitude”.
The South African government has released few details about his condition, appealing for Nelson Mandela’s privacy and dignity to be respected.
Correspondents say this is not the discharge of a man who has made a significant recovery but the transfer of a patient from an intensive care ward in a hospital to a specially built intensive care unit in his own home, presumably in line with his family’s wishes.
“It is a day of celebration for us, that he is finally back home with us,” said his grandson Mandla Mandela.
On Saturday, sources close to Nelson Mandela told the international media that he had already returned home.
This was denied by South Africa’s presidency, which handles all communications about the former leader’s health.
Nelson Mandela’s lung condition is said to result from the tuberculosis he contracted during the 27 years he spent in prison for taking up arms against white minority rule.
He is been hospitalized four times in the past year and his latest stay lasted 84 days.
He became president after 1994 elections – the first time black South Africans were allowed to vote – and stepped down five years later.
Nelson Mandela’s last public appearance was at the 2010 football World Cup, which South Africa hosted.
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Reports that Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital are incorrect, South Africa’s presidency says.
News outlets earlier quoted sources close to the former South African president as saying he had returned home.
The presidency said in a statement that Nelson Mandela was critical but stable, but at times his condition became unstable, prompting medical intervention.
Nelson Mandela, 95, was admitted with a recurring lung infection on June 8.
Reports that Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital are incorrect
The country’s first black president, Nelson Mandela is revered by many as the father of the nation.
His prolonged hospital stay – by far the longest since he was released from prison in 1990 – has caused concern both in South Africa and abroad.
The family has long hoped that he would improve sufficiently at least to enable him to make the journey home in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton and be treated there.
But one of the sources quoted by international media has now spoken of being misinformed about Nelson Mandela’s release.
The confusion could have arisen out of a possible move soon to get Nelson Mandela home, which would clearly depend on his health at the time.
The infection Nelson Mandela is being treated for is said to date back to a period of nearly three decades he spent in prison for anti-apartheid activity.
People from South Africa and around the world have sent him their best wishes, and flowers and other tributes have collected outside Pretoria’s MediClinic Heart Hospital.
Throughout Nelson Mandela’s stay in hospital, President Jacob Zuma has urged the country to pray for him and keep him in their thoughts.
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Nelson Mandela has returned to his home in Johannesburg after a long stay in hospital in Pretoria.
The 95-year-old former South African president was admitted with a recurring lung infection on June.
Last week Nelson Mandela was said to be critical but stable and “showing great resilience”, and there has been no official update on him since then.
Nelson Mandela has returned to his home in Johannesburg after a long stay in hospital in Pretoria
South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela is revered by many as the father of the nation.
His prolonged hospital stay has caused concern both in South Africa and abroad.
The infection is said to date back to a period of nearly three decades Nelson Mandela spent in prison for anti-apartheid activity.
People from South Africa and around the world have sent him their best wishes, and flowers and other tributes have collected outside Pretoria’s MediClinic Heart Hospital.
Throughout Nelson Mandela’s stay in hospital, President Jacob Zuma urged the country to pray for him and keep him in their thoughts.
Nelson Mandela is said to be showing great resilience in hospital though his condition becomes unstable at times.
The 95-year-old South African former leader is “still critical but stable”, according to a statement from President Jacob Zuma’s office.
Nelson Mandela remains in hospital in Pretoria two-and-a-half months after being admitted with a recurring lung infection.
Nelson Mandela is said to be showing great resilience in hospital though his condition becomes unstable at times
The statement largely squares with comments from members of his family.
However, Saturday’s statement does provide some fresh insight into the precariousness of the health of the global icon and the reserves he still appears able to call upon.
The statement said doctors were still working hard to bring about a turnaround in his health and, as a result of medical interventions, Nelson Mandela’s condition tended to stabilize.
President Jacob Zuma, who is travelling to Malaysia on an official visit, urged the country to continue praying for Nelson Mandela and to keep him in their thoughts at all times.
Nelson Mandela, who stepped down as the country’s first black president in 1999, entered hospital on June 8.
The anti-apartheid activist’s lung infection is believed to date back to the period of nearly three decades he spent in prison, for his activities in the African National Congress.
People from South Africa and around the world have sent Nelson Mandela their best wishes, and flowers and other tributes have collected outside Pretoria’s Medi Clinic Heart Hospital.
Nelson Mandela turns 95 while in hospital in Pretoria, as events take place around the world and in South Africa in his honor.
South Africans are being urged to match the former president and anti-apartheid leader’s 67 years of public service with 67 minutes of charitable acts.
Nelson Mandela, who is in critical but stable condition with a recurring lung infection, entered hospital on June 8.
President Jacob Zuma said his health was “steadily improving”.
“We are proud to call this international icon our own as South Africans and wish him good health,” Jacob Zuma said in a statement.
“We thank all our people for supporting Madiba throughout the hospitalization with undying love and compassion,” he said, referring to Nelson Mandela’s clan name.
Nelson Mandela’s daughter, Zindzi, said on Wednesday he had made “dramatic progress”, and that she had found him watching television with headphones on and communicating with his eyes and hands when she visited him this week.
“I should think he will be going home anytime soon,” she told the UK’s Sky News television.
Nelson Mandela’s birthday is also Nelson Mandela International Day, a day declared by the UN as a way to recognize the Nobel Prize winner’s contribution to reconciliation.
The former statesman is revered across the world for his role in ending apartheid in South Africa. He went on to become the first black president in the country’s first all-race elections in 1994.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) said that on this Mandela Day homage was being paid to 95 years of “life well-lived”, dedicated to the liberation of South Africans and people all over the world.
Nelson Mandela turns 95 while in hospital in Pretoria, as events take place around the world and in South Africa in his honor
The day kicked off with millions of school children across South Africa singing Happy Birthday to Nelson Mandela.
To mark the former statesman’s 67 years as a lawyer, activist, prisoner and president, volunteers will spend 67 minutes renovating schools and orphanages, cleaning hospitals and distributing food to the poor.
President Jacob Zuma plans to mark the occasion by overseeing the donation of houses to poor white families in the Pretoria area.
The ANC said that on this Mandela Day homage was being paid to 95 years of life well lived, dedicated to the liberation of South Africans and people all over the world.
Events are also taking place internationally, with an image of a large Mandela painting by South African artist Paul Blomkamp featured in New York’s Times Square.
British entrepreneur Richard Branson has pledged 67 minutes of community service on Thursday to “make the world a better place, one small step at a time”, speaking in a recorded message.
Meanwhile, concerts are planned later this week in the Australian city of Melbourne, featuring local and African artists.
His illness gives extra poignancy to this year’s Mandela Day, correspondents say.
For South Africans, the best birthday present for Nelson Mandela would be to recover and be among the people who love him most.
As the family and millions around the country reflect the role Nelson Mandela played in South Africa, there will be a quiet prayer that he will return home soon.
Winnie Mandela told a local radio station her former husband’s 95th birthday was “a gift not only to the family… but to the nation”.
She rejected the “prophets of doom” who have warned of chaos in South Africa when Nelson Mandela dies.
“The country will solidify and come together,” she told Radio 702.
Nelson Mandela’s third wife, Graca Machel, said last Friday that she was “less anxious” about his health than before and that he was continuing to respond well to treatment.
Thursday also is the 15th anniversary of the couple’s marriage.
Ahead of the anniversary, Nelson Mandela’s close friend and lawyer George Bizos described them as “a loving couple”, the AFP news agency reports.
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South African President Jacob Zuma has announced Nelson Mandela is responding to treatment but remains in a critical condition.
The former president and global statesman, 94, has been in hospital battling a recurring lung infection since June 8.
President Jacob Zuma’s statement urged the public to continue “providing support and showering him with love”.
People who have seen him say he remains responsive.
“We are encouraged that Madiba is responding to treatment,” said Jacob Zuma, referring to Nelson Mandela by his clan name.
Nelson Mandela is responding to treatment but remains in a critical condition
The head of Nelson Mandela’s Thembu tribe, King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, told the AFP news agency on Wednesday that he was “conscious” when he visited his hospital in Pretoria.
“He could not talk, but he recognized me and made a few gestures of acknowledgement, like moving his eyes,” he said.
Last week, Jacob Zuma denied reports that Nelson Mandela was in a vegetative state.
Nelson Mandela is revered across the world for his role in the fight against white minority rule in South Africa.
He was jailed for 27 years, before being freed in 1990 and elected president in 1994.
Since Nelson Mandela was hospitalized, his family’s battle for control of his legacy has escalated.
Last week, his grandson Mandla Mandela lost a court case brought by rival family members over the burial site of Nelson Mandela and three of his children.
Mandla Mandela had relocated the bodies to his village of Mvezo without the rest of the family’s consent. However, the court ruled that the bodies should be reinterred in the family graveyard in Qunu. He may now face criminal charges for alleged grave tampering.
After visiting Nelson Mandela, King Dalindyebo said he was doing all he can to give the former leader peace of mind over the affair.
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