What they said about Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president who led the peaceful transition from white-only rule, has died aged 95, after a long illness. Below is how prominent and ordinary people around the world have reacted to his death.

US President Barack Obama:

“And we have lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us – he belongs to the ages. Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa – and moved all of us.”

Former US President Bill Clinton:

“We worked together as presidents, and even after we left office we continued working together to improve education of the children worldwide in order for them to share the future.”

South African President Jacob Zuma:

“Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our thoughts are with the South African people who today mourn the loss of the one person who more than any other came to embody their sense of a common nation. Our thoughts are with the millions of people across the world who embraced Madiba as their own and who saw his cause as their cause.

“This is the moment of our deepest sorrow. Our nation has lost his greatest son. Yet what made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human – we saw in him what we seek in ourselves and in him we saw so much of ourselves. Nelson Mandela bought us together and it is together that we will bid him farewell,” he said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron:

“A great light has gone out in the world. Nelson Mandela was a hero of our time. I’ve asked for the flag at No10 to be flown at half mast.”

Mandela’s old ally and friend Ahmed Kathrada, with whom he shared his prison sentence on Robben Island said that losing “the last of the A-team, my older brother” left him feeling “bereft and lonely”.

“We have known each other for 67 years, and I never imagined I’d be witness to the unavoidable and traumatic reality of your passing,” he said.

“I had the enviable privilege of being alive and walking the earth with you through the bad times and the good. It has been a long walk, with many challenges that at times seemed insurmountable. And yet we never faltered, and the strength of leaders like you and Walter (Sisulu, the ANC Secretary General) always shone a light on the path and kept our destination and our people’s future in view.”

Former South Africa Rugby Captain Francois Pienaar:

“I’ve been very blessed. I was at the right place at the right time, more so than any Rugby World Cup captain before me and after me. What he did for the team was wonderful to watch – that air of confidence that he brought with him and that unbelievable humility that Madiba had is something that rubbed off. I never thought he would wear a Springbok jersey – most people would have worn a suit but he realised we were playing for the whole country.”

Golfer Tiger Woods:

“I had a chance to meet him with my father in 1998. He invited us to his home and it was one of the most inspiring times of my life and it’s a sad day for many people around the world.”

Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo on twitter:

“Thankful Madiba for your legacy and your example. You”ll always stay with us.”

Sprinter Usain Bolt:

“One of the greatest human beings ever. May your soul rest in peace. The world’s greatest fighter”.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said:

“It is in deep mourning that I pay my respects to an extraordinary person, probably one of the greatest humanists of our time and a dear friend of mine. When he was cheered at Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium at the World Cup, it was as a man of the people, a man of their hearts, and it was one of the most moving moments I have ever experienced.”

Former England cricket captain Sir Ian Botham:

“I’ll always remember when he put his arm around me and thanked me for my stance against Apartheid. I was flattered by that as I hadn’t realised how much it meant to so many people. It’s a very sad day, not just for South Africa but for the world.”

Three time world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali:

“What I will remember most about Mr Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul and spirit could not be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars or the burden of hate and revenge.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron writing in a book of condolence at South Africa House in Trafalgar Square:

“Your cause of fighting for freedom and against discrimination, your struggle for justice, your triumph against adversity – these things will inspire generations to come. And through all of this, your generosity, compassion and profound sense of forgiveness have given us all lessons to learn and live by.”

The Prince of Wales said Mr Mandela was the “embodiment of courage and reconciliation. He was also a man of great humour and had a real zest for life. With his passing, there will be an immense void not only in his family’s lives, but also in those of all South Africans and the many others whose lives have been changed through his fight for peace, justice and freedom.

“The world has lost an inspired leader and a great man. My family and I are profoundly saddened and our thoughts and prayers are with his family. “On Thursday night, Prince William said the death of Mandela was “extremely sad and tragic”.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Mandela was “a giant for justice” whose “selfless struggle for human dignity, equality and freedom” inspired many people around the world.

“No one did more in our time to advance the values and aspirations of the United Nations,” he told reporters soon after Mandela’s death was announced Thursday.

“Nelson Mandela showed what is possible for our world, and within each one of us, if we believe a dream and work together for justice and humanity,” Ban said.

“Let us continue each day to be inspired by Nelson Mandela’s lifelong example to keep working for a better and more just world.”