South Africans, today, paid tribute to Nelson Mandela on the first anniversary of his death, with his widow imploring citizens to carry on his legacy of love and forgiveness.
Mandela, 95, died on December 5, 2013after battling a recurring lung infection.
Officials scheduled a series of events today to mark the anniversary of his death, including a wreath-laying ceremony, a cricket match and blaring of vuvuzela followed by moments of silence.
His wife, Grace Machel was among attendees at one of the first events of the day: a wreath-laying ceremony at his statue in Pretoria.
During the ceremony, she spoke of her husband’s legacy and the need to carry it forward.
“Madiba’s legacy covers everyone in the country, in Africa and in the world,” she said.
She called on everyone to tap into his legacy of forgiveness, and ensure everything he stood for lives on long after he is gone.
Machel also mentioned her sorrow at her husband’s death, and the feeling of emptiness that washed over her.
“When he left he said, ‘I leave you in peace and I want you to live in peace,'” she said. “On the day of his passing I was not able to think, I was numb.”
However, she said, she got solace from knowing her husband is at peace and is with friends who died before him. She mentioned some of his closest friends, including Oliver Tambo, with whom Mandela operated the nation’s first black law firm.
“Looking back, I imagine him tall and proud, walking, and all of them rising to welcome him,” Machel said.
The revered statesman emerged from prison in 1990 after 27 years in detention to lead South Africa out of decades of apartheid. Mandela’s defiance of white minority rule and incarceration for fighting against segregation focused the world’s attention on apartheid, the legalized racial segregation enforced by the South African government.
In the years leading up to his death, he battled various ailments, forcing him to retreat to a quiet life and fade away from the limelight.
Despite rare public appearances, he held a special place in the nation.
In his lifetime, he went from a militant freedom fighter, to a prisoner, to a president, to an elder statesman.
Mandela became the nation’s first black president in 1994. He retired from the presidency five years later, and for many South Africans, he was simply Madiba, his traditional clan name. Others affectionately called him Tata, the Xhosa word for father.
Other events marking his memorial include a cricket match between the Proteas and the Springboks, and an interfaith prayer.
His foundation will also have a three-minute, seven-second blaring of vuvuzelas and traditional horns, followed by three minutes of silence.
The six minutes and seven seconds are a symbol of the 67 years he spent in public service.
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