Mandela, an iconic figure who left indelible mark globally - President

Saturday, 7 December 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Commonwealth Chair in Office, has written to South African President Jacob Zuma on the death of former

South African President Nelson Mandela on 5 December. Following is the message: “On behalf of the Commonwealth, as its Chair in Office, I convey our heartfelt sympathies to Your Excellency, the Government and the people of South Africa, and in particular, the family members, on the sad passing of the founding father of modern South Africa, His Excellency Nelson Mandela. He was an iconic figure who has left an indelible mark on all of us globally. “The Commonwealth was enriched with the return of South Africa to its fold in 1994, under the leadership of the late Nelson Mandela, who represented the highest values of human dignity and statesmanship in contemporary history. “Having sacrificed a major part of his illustrious life in prison to end the abhorrent practice of apartheid, he brought new life, dignity and freedom to the people of South Africa, and indeed to the whole of the African continent, which has the largest regional representation in the Commonwealth. The legacy he leaves behind will indeed be hard to surpass. “The highest tribute we in the Commonwealth can pay to this great son of South Africa and statesman is to preserve the values of democracy, diversity and unity that he so cherished.”