Anti - apartheid icon, South Africa's first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela died yesterday at the age of 95. One of the most inspiring figures of the 20th Century, imprisoned for 27 years, Mandela was an " international emblem of dignity and forbearance."

Government Vice-president and Foreign Minister has issued the following statement: Nelson Mandela entered the realm of global history these many years now as a figure emblematic of the universal struggle against racism and xenophobia; as a symbol of the ongoing struggle for human dignity, equality and freedom.

All humanity bids him farewell at a time when, unfortunately, many of the attainments of democratic political culture are being called into question. Let us hope that his name and his image serve always as point of reference with substantial institutional and social content.