Nelson Mandela leaves a deep sense of loss at ITU / Mandela, champion of downtrodden, wished to bridge digital divide

By International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
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Nelson Mandela leaves a deep sense of loss at ITU / Mandela, champion of downtrodden, wished to bridge digital divide

GENEVA, Switzerland, December 6, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- ITU membership, management and staff join the people of South Africa and the whole world in mourning the passing of Nelson Mandela, the revolutionary South African anti-apartheid leader who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and who is hailed as one of the most transforming personalities the world has ever seen.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in 1918 to the Thembu royal family in Transkei, South Africa. He spent the better part of his life in an epic struggle against apartheid in South Africa and served 27 years in prison. In 1993, Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in dismantling the shackles of apartheid and, in 1994 he was elected President of South Africa. During this tenure he was also Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement.