Johannesburg - Nelson Mandela carried the burden of service and sacrifice for all of South Africa, Brand SA chair Chichi Maponya said on Friday, following the death of the former president.
“Madiba embodied our hopes and the realisation of our dreams,” Maponya said in a statement.
“We are in deep mourning following this loss of indescribable magnitude which is today reverberating across the world. During his imprisonment for 27 years, Madiba carried the aspirations of multitudes of our people who yearned for a free and democratic South Africa.”
President Jacob Zuma announced that Mandela died on Thursday night at his Houghton, Johannesburg, home surrounded by family. He was 95.
Maponya added that Mandela's good work had to live on, particularly as the country approached a landmark 20 years of democracy.
“It is now up to each of us to carry this work forward, to play our part to ensure his legacy endures and South Africa continues to inspire triumph over seemingly insurmountable challenges,” Maponya said. - Sapa