Johannesburg (Reuters) -Nelson Mandela guided South Africa from the shackles of apartheid to a multi-racial democracy, as an icon of peace and reconciation who came to embody the struggle for justice around the world.
Charged with capital offences in the 1963 Rivonia Trial, his statement from the dock was his political testimony.
Friends adored Mandela and fondly called him "Madiba",the clan name by which he was known.People lauded his humanity, kindness and dignity.