South Africans remembered global statesman Nelson Mandela on Tuesday as they marked 30 years since he was released from prison after serving 27 years for opposing the apartheid regime.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said he vividly remembers 30 years ago how large crowds of people gathered to welcome Mandela upon his release.
“The people celebrated with great enthusiasm not only because, after 27 years, a great leader of our people was among us again, but because his release was a defining moment in our onward march towards democracy,’’ Ramaphosa said in an address to the country.
The president said as South Africans mark the joyous anniversary of Mandela’s release, they share a common goal of an equal, just and prosperous South Africa, where all experience an improving quality of life and all may be able to realize their potential.
He said he recalls one profound statement Mandela made in his inaugural
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