in south africa it is a place of great deal idealism, that's been cheated of it's democratic birthright in many ways. by corruption, by nepotism, and by lack of concern for those small people that have been called that nelson la used to understand were the bedrock of what makes a nation. >> well, and it is good to talk to you, greg. at this moment in time, i thank you for your insights and your thoughts on the passing of nelson mandela, and these are pictures from johan news burg outside the house. nelson mandela, the u.n. secretary general, was he making a statement of the passing, just let me know. let me bring in my colleague morgan ratford. lived and talks -- i did not know this, in south africa. morgan, what are your thoughts in. >> there was in 2010, i was there as a full right and i taught at the university in turban. i was also living in johan news burg during the time of the world cup. offs friend of the mandela family, and as greg mentioned this is a very interesting time for this to be happening in south africa. as greg mentioned the anc is going through a very tum

brought democracy and freedom to south africa, and showed that actually, majority can rule. wolf? >> a truly, truly amazing man who made such a unique difference to the world, not only to south africa, but to the entire world. christiane, i want to show our viewers a live picture of his home now. people are beginning to gather. this is outside of johannesburg in south africa. only beginning to pay respects to nelson mandela at the age of 95, who has just passed away. we heard the announcement from jacob zuma, the president of south africa. we want to welcome our viewers who may just be tuning in here in the united states and around the world. we'll have special breaking news coverage of the death of nelson mandela here in "the situation room." we're watching what's going on, christiane and robyn kurnow is in johannesburg watching what's going on as well. we will only now begin, christiane, to get reaction. i'm sure that leaders around the world will want to speak out and pay their special respects to this world leader, from the president of the united states, the leaders in europe, afr

johanesburg, south africa, at the age of 95. good evening, i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. we remember mandela, a towering man whose passion, sacrifice and battle against aparthied changed south africa and the world. >> woodruff: tonight we devote our whole program to life and legacy of nelson mandela. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: nelson mandela's death was formally announced late today by south africa's current president jacob zuma. he expressed the country's love and sense of loss for their iconic leader, often referred to, out of respect, by his clan name, madiba. >> our beloved mandela, thefou

correspondent based in south africa was outside the mandela home when the news broke and remains there tonight and ro hip, all night tonight we have seen video of people gathering to sing and celebrate the life of nelson mandela, while it's important to remember a lot of south africans are still going to wake up to the sad news in the morning. >> reporter: that's right, brian. it is in credcredibly early in morning here, almost 2:00 o'clock and many south africans haven't heard the news yet. a few hundred of those who have came down here to nelson mandela's home they gathered around singing songs of the anti-apartheid struggle, singing it in all 12 language,multi cultural multi racial musical celebration of the rainbow nation. one of the fascinating observations here is how young people are, like south africa itself, this crowd is young, the people here have no memory of apartheid but such is the legacy of nelson mandela, he means almost as much to the youngsters standing around me as people who lived through the darkest years of apartheid. earlier this evening, four hours ago, president zuma

africa's first black president was 95, dying in the company of his family after a long battle against lung infections. let's listen to what some of these people had to say gathered outside his home. >> i'm very sad. i met him when i was young. i grew up with him. i was very sad. i'm not happy that he gets to rest in piece. what he did for the country. i was telling my friend now, that if i was him i wouldn't be friends with him. i wouldn't be together. . >> obviously i'm shocked and sadden. it's hurtful. i was born in 1994. he fought for everything. i wouldn't be able to be here around my family. i hope he rests in piece and everything goes well. >> south africa lost his greatest son, they are the words that president zoouma used to break his news to the world that nelson mandela decide. >> fellow south africans, our e beloved nelson mandela, the founding president of a democratic nation has departed. he passed on peacefully in the company of his family around 2050 on the 5th of december, 2013. he is now resting. he is now at peace. our nation has lost its greatest son. our people have los

with south africa's apartheid rulers and others across the country says former president jimmy carter. >> all the other presidents were in bed with military dictators. >> he is in the country to attend the funeral of nelson mandela. he reflects on u.s. policy and l how it has changed. >> mr. president, thank you for joining us. at the time you were in office, nelson mandela was still in jail. there were americans who will remember back, and said we were not always the best friends we so have been to the antiapartheid forces in south africa. >> when i was in office we were looking for an end to apartheid. we worked hardest on changing to what became zimbabwe, and also were working to make a change in south africa as well. my vice president, walter mon mondale, called for one person, one vote in south africa. but that was kind of an anomaly in those days. after i left office, the united states administration went back to its previous time of being aligned with the apartheid government. >> but that doesn't make sense. it's not something americans today think that americans in the

response on part of police, messy leadership struggle and deepening fishers between south africa's ruler masters. members of the party have said mr. mandela's near saintly legacy from years of struggle has been eroded by a scramble of self enrich. . nelson mandela died with his family around him at a hospital. it was brought to us by the south african president. he was born in transic south africa. he moved to end the regime. the impact of his efforts reconciled generosity and to find the common ground between humanity's higher values and his own power. john carlin once described him and said he'll ultimately reach beyond south africa's borders. this coming to us from black borders. prior to doing so, mandela earned a bachelor's degree during which time he was elected onto the student's representative council and suspended from college for joining a protest boycott. he was eququalified in laura to make him ready for the struggle of his people he struggled to end during wars of resistance in their land. that degree gave him rights to practice law. he and oliver established the first

laureate. late today local time in south africa after visible worry and activity outside the home, south african president zuma went on live it's and broke the sad news to his country. >> our beloved nelson mandela, the founding president of our democratic nation has departed. >> president zuma's announcement was followed within the hour by president obama from the white house. >> we've lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time on this earth. he no longer belongs to us. he belongs to the ages. >> part of an emotional appearance late today by president obama in the white house briefing room. nbc news correspondent roh rohit kachroo. all tonight we have seen people gathering to celebrate and sing celebrating the life of nelson mandela. while it's important to note that some will wake up to the sad news in the morning. >> reporter: that's right, brian. it is incredibly early in the morning here. almost 2:00. and many south africans haven't heard the news yet. but a few hundred of those who have came down here to nelson mand

laws meant that by virtue of being black in south africa, you were presumed to be a criminal unless you could prove otherwise by having the proper paperwork. and any white person could challenge you anywhere for any reason, and if you did not have the passport, if you did not have the right documents, if you did not have the right written permission to be where you were when you were there, then you could be put in jail. passbook laws had been around since the 18th century, and the structure was always the same. white people never needed them. white people could go wherever they needed. but non-white people need add internal passport. papers please. at the end of world war ii, the election in south africa in 1948 unexpectedly brought to power a nationalist government on a platform they called apartness. in their language, it was pronounced apartheid. they started codifying immediately all the various ways that they could separate the population by race and treat people according to the ways that they thought the various races should be treated. in 1949, the prohibition of mixed marriage

south africa's former president indication of the divas injury and been able to peel me well in south africa itself. look who's coming to tennis with its else from on that let's cross our top correspondent in japan is that i havent had a fancy to be with us was the atmosphere like it was the day now since that announcement and nelson mandela's house. he was taking to the streets in south africa to pay tribute to nelson and get out. indeed the state they were still trying to come to terms with the death of disco boogie death not they say they've accepted teased and not the umpiring to carry him now we know that he will be getting on the fifteenth of this and that in his hometown of london. what would happen on the latin from the heavens to the thirteenth. he's one one nineteen states in pretoria. and on the tenth of peace and that it will be a national day of mourning and this sunday the eighth of december. it will be a national day of prayer and reflection isn't a consumer has called on south africans to use this day to reflect on the night of nelson and data what he has made tw

happening in south africa over the next ten days of mourning. nelson man dadela has passed aw. thank you for watching our special situation room coverage of the passing of nelson mandela. much more coming up right now on erin burnett "outfront" with jake tapper filling in. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> good evening. you're watching erin burnett "outfront." we're following the news story of nelson mandela, the first black president of south africa. an anti-apartheid icon. he was 95 years old. his passing was announced late this afternoon by south african president jacob zuma. >> our nation has lost its greatest son. our people have lost a father. but though we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of the profound and enduring loss. >> president obama who met mandela in 2005 said he cannot fully imagine his own life without the example set by mandela. >> we will not likely see the likes of nelson mandela again. so it falls to us as best we can to follow the example that he set to make decisions guided not by hate but by love. to never disdown

africa and that is definitely not a hate geographic account of many nelson mandela i will leave it to your other guests to provide the odes and the graphic. biographical details of a very genial and impressive man but certainly his political legacy is not exactly impressive people often say that he was a someone who facilitated the peaceful transition to so-called democracy democracy rule which is really a dominant party state in south africa and any democratic scholar worth his salt will tell you that a dominant party state is not a true democracy but nelson mandela did not require a revolution because when he came out of prison the anglo american axis of evil pretty much facilitated everything the a.n.c. negotiated for so there where so they you had america which is founded on a decentralized devolved federal republic advocating top down pure ror rank democracy no or very little representation of veto power from the minorities no by cameral dispensation and. pretty much a very little devolution to the provinces so that is one of his legacy ok i don't know what is right now one so

different for the young mandela than it is for the majority of blacks living in south africa at that time. because he is growing up in an all-black environment. >> he was sheltered from the searing racism that many other black south africans would have grown up with. >> reporter: in 1941 in order to avoid an arranged marriage, the 22-year-old mandela runs away to johannesburg. >> johannesburg was the bright lights. johannesburg was the golden city. >> reporter: but johannesburg in the 1940s isn't albright lights and big opportunities. particularly for a young black man. >> here was this strapping young man who had been part of this royal village who felt this high sense of self-esteem, and he was treated like dirt, like all of the other africans were. >> reporter: here in johannesburg under the harsh realities of racism, mandela meets a man who will change his life forever. >> he walked into walter's office. he was a real estate agent. and mandela was astonished. he realized there was another life that was available. >> reporter: he was also an active member of the african national congre

multiracial democracy in south africa. >> pelley: he was an inspiration to all who cherish freedom. >> i cherish the ideal of a new south africa. >> the legacy of mandela is of forgiveness and reconciliation. >> today, we can proudly say we are all south africans. >> he is revered around the world. he is almost like a saint. >> pelley: for south africa, he was "madiba," the father of a nation. >> africa! amandla! ( cheers ) ( national anthem plays ) captioning sponsored by cbs >> pelley: good evening. sunday in south africa will be a national day of prayer in honor of nelson mandela, a day to reflect on all that he did for his country and on the inspiration he was for freedom- loving people all over the world. ever since he died thursday evening at the age of 95, mourners both black and white have been gathering at his former home in soweto, celebrating the father of the new south africa who fought for the liberation of the black majority and then led a peaceful transition to a multiracial democracy as south africa's first black president. nelson mandela is one of the towering figu

belongs to us. he belongs to the ages. >> this friday morning we'll take you to south africa and look at the man who spent so much of his life behind bars. yet, his words and actions continue to have a profound impact around the world. >>> in other news this day, much of the u.s. bracing for a major winter storm with snow, ice, and plunging temperatures. "early today" starts right now. 45 4556>>> good morning to you. i'm richard lui. he is known for changing the world. people around the globe mourning the loss of nelson mandela. from a small prison cell he empowered a nation. his humility helped to revolutionize south africa. >> his tireless struggle for freedom gave him the respect of the world. >> his journey to president embody the promise that human beings ask countries can change for the better. >> we should have the same type of spirit and caring of the people and as a nation. >> we go to roba from johannesburg. this is not unexpected given mr. mandela's house. we might ask now how are south africans reacting? >> reporter: richard, news of nelson mandela's death was announc

africa. fight, and the south african people as a whole, model foraradigm, a all those who fight for justice, freedom, and equality. apartheid defeated by mandela and the south african people was the most elaborate and cool form of inequality in modern times. this great leader had his eyes focused on the future of his country, of his people, and of all people. he also was a source of inspiration for the struggle in south america. madiba, as you affectionately call them, serves as an example. for the stoic, firm, patient. for the enlightened strength in his fight. for his deep commitment to , and above allce , for his moral and ethical superiority. he was able to turn the pillars of truth and forgiveness to renew south africa. we must pay homage to his unmatched expression of greatness that was nelson mandela. his fight went way beyond his national border and inspired men and women to fight. he left many lessons, not only for his beloved african countries, but for all who seek freedom, social justice, and equality. like these south africans who mandela was, nelson your champion. we in

the passing of nelson mandela, the founding president of the new south africa. here on behalf of the people's republic of china and the chinese government and people, i wish to express deep condolences and pay high tribute to this figure born on the african continent whose bright smile we remember fondly. [speaking in chinese] mr. mandela was the founding father of the new south africa with decades of strenuous efforts he led the people of south africa to victory with the fight against apartheid and laying a solid foundation for the long term growth of his country. [speaking in chinese] mr. mandela was the pride of the african people for all his life he had strived for the liberation of african nations, championed the dignity of the african people and endeavor for the unity of africa's countries to the world. he's dedicated his entire life to the development and progress of africa. [speaking in chinese] >> mr. mandela was a fan of the chinese people and household name in china as one of the founding fathers of china's/south africa relations he committed himself to the friendship and

africa. >> i stand before you filled with pride and joy. pride in the people of the country. determination -- enjoy that which you can loudly proclaim from the rooftops -- free at last. >> in june of 1999 after one presidential term, nelson mandela retired from politics but remained committed to promoting peace and justice. he spoke out against the 2003 invasion of iraq and work at -- for aids. on policy he revealed his son had died of the disease. the last three years were marked with hospitalizations as he struggled with respiratory problems. had a lung infection after three months in the hospital. hisied peacefully at johannesburg home thursday. he was 95 years old. >> and ray brown reporting on the life of nelson mandela. earlier i spoke with the contributor to time magazine, who interviewed mandela on a number of occasions. she shared her experiences with us. was a really great interview because at least when he came out of jail, he did not have the consciousness of how big a figure he was globally. he knew it abstractly, but he had not traveled yet. learning bylf accid

transformed south africa and moved all of us. his journey from imprisonment to a president embodied the promise that human beings and countries can change for the better. his commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all of humanity should aspire to , whether in their own nations or their own personal lives. and the fact that he did it all with grace and with humor and the ability to acknowledge his own imperfections only makes the man that much more remarkable. as he once said, i'm not a saint , unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying. i am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from nelson mandela. action,first political the first thing i ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics was a protest against apartheid. i would study his words and his writings. the day he was released from me a sense ofe what human beings can do when they are guided by their hopes and not by their fears. and like so many around the globe, i cannot imagine my own life without the example that nelson mandela set. an

child list his fists against his mother who shouts africa. , nothild is not dead peers through the windows of thousands, and into the hearts of mothers. play.ild who wanted to child grows into a man throughout south africa. the child that grows into a child's that rules over the whole world. vision, the and theon of the woman emancipation of the man. it is this thing that will give the presence in this chamber and at the to our artifice foot of god. constrain the chelated things.f our historical saidwe want to make of our destiny. the masses who sued her in this role. of inspired by single vision creating a people centered society. accordingly, the purpose shall settlement, the extension of the freedom. to pass the test of the legitimacy we elaborate. the government institutions we create, the legislation we are taught. important most purpose is therefore to have social order in which a single individual will truly mean the freedom of the individual. in such anstruct manner that it guarantees because -- the liberties and the human rights of all our citizens . already exist in the c

relationships are intertwined. the civil rights movement and the movement to free south africa, you know, there are parallel histories, many of the same objectives, freedom and equality. and many people don't know this because they associate martin luther king primarily with the u.s. civil rights movement. but when mandela was in prison, he went in '61/'62, martin luther king spoke and described south african racism as the worst in the world, and he said even denying blacks the basic right of nonviolent protests. and, of course, you know, everybody's comparing mandela to gandhi and martin luther king, although, you know, neither of them was in favor of violence. but nelson mandela went to violence not to take over the country but to get the white minority regime to listen to the demands of black people. but even early in '64, martin luther king was calling for nelson mandela's release. in 1965, he spoke in london and called for internal sanctions. he echoed that in the '80s. and, of course, as you know, the free south africa movement in which president obama spoke about being a part of a

prayer for africa but it is a mixture of the old and new. >> thank you very much. president jacob zuma, deputy president makalnta and former president bnaki. thank you, thank you, thank you. former president f.w. de klerk. leaders of countries who have come south africa. the mandela family. the leadership of the ruling party, the african national congress. and the leadership of various other political parties, religious leaders and everyone else who is here, i welcome you in the name of our president jacob zuma and the mandela family. my name is ramposa. i have been asked by president jacob zuma to be your program director. we trust that you will work with us. >> the audio in the stadium is not so great. i'm told for our audience at home. >> he is introducing all of the current and former south african presidents, including f.w. de klerk. the last white president of south africa. he got a very respectable cheer from the crowd. you see the anguished faces of the mandela family. eventually we will start to hear the tributes and hear from the family members. we will hear from preside

what he thinks the future of south africa should be. >> prison is just not a place. >> we will likely not see the likes of nelson mandela again to make decisions by love, not by hate, to strife for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice. >> it is not the individuals that matter. i am your ser vantd. i don't come to you as a leader. >> apartness. that is what apartheid means in their language. apartness is what the south african white government was trying to achieve, keeping the black population apart from the minority white population. to do that, they would have to deny them the right to vote, ban the black population from certain jobs, prohibit marriages between white people and non-white people. prohibit sex between white people and non-white people. and force segregation in all public areas, deny black people full use of the court system. force black people to carry identification at all times. that included their birthplace, their tax payments and a record of any and all encounters with police. and it would have to create boss, the bureau of state security which could use inde

civil rights in south africa. mandela lived long enough to see a multiracial democratic south africa. he called it the rainbow nation. the grief over his death crossed racial lines ha he devoted his to erasing. a young man at the age of 25, he joined the african national congress in 1956. mandela was arrested with 155 other political activists and was changed with high treason. the treason trial lasted 4 1/2 years. the charges against him were ultimately dropped. mandela used a false identity to evade the government and traveled to europe and other countries in africa to built support for the anc and study guerilla warfare. when he returned to south africa in 1962, mandela was arrested and sentenced to years in prison. during his sentence, the government charmed mandela and other anc leaders with sabotage and attempting to violently overthrow the government. the winner of 1964, mandela and his colleagues were sentenced to in prison. mandela's brutal imprisonment helped win freedom for his nation. he represented himself and in his defense spoke out about democracy. equality and freedo

no other. for the people of south africa, -- [cheering] >> people of every race and every walk of life, the world thanks you for sharing nelson mandela with us. his struggles were your strugglers, his triumph was your triumph. your dignity and your hope found expression in his life, and your freedom, your democracy, is his cherished legacy. it is hard to eulogize any man, who capture in words not just the facts and the dates that make a life, but the essential spirit of a person, their private joy, and sorrow, the quiet moments and unique qualities that illuminate someone. how much harder to do so with a giant of history. who moved a nation toward justice, and in the process, moved billions around the world. born during world war i, far from the corridors of power, a boy raised herding cattle, madiba was the last great libator of the 20th century. like gandhi, he will lead a resiststance movement, a movement that at it start had little prospect of success. like dr. king, he would give voice to the claims of the opressed, and the moral necessity of racial justice. he would endure a

congress. started in 1912, the anc was created to advocate for political rights for south africa's blacks. in the young mandela, he sees the future of the organization. >> he said we wanted to be a mass organization and we needed a mass leader. then one day nelson mandela walked into my office and he realized that's the guy. >> he becomes mandela's men for and encouraging him to earn a law degree. he also introduce s mandela to his young cousin, evalyn. they marry in 1946 and welcome a child that same year. their family grew to add another son and another daughter. racism and segregation had existed in south africa for as long as there had been white settlers. the majority of whom were descendants of the dutch. in 1948, the africaner led national party sweeps into power and codifies apartheid policies into law. >> they were trying to achieve this ethnic fragmentation of the country to give the nation its even homeland. >> the anc seeks to counter the new government. in 1952, the anc embarks on a defiance campaign to mobilize their countrymen to defy unjust apartheid laws. mandela i

our viewers in the united states and around the world. >> it is morning now in south africa. crowds have gathered outside the former president's home in johannesburg, he died peacefully on thursday, he was 95. >> mandela is known for freeing south africa and delivering it into the hands of democracy. president jacob zuma broke the news of his death. >> our thoughts are with the millions of people across the world who embraced mandela as their own and who saw his cause as their cause. this is the moment of our deepest sorrow. >> well, millions of people around the world are joining south africans in mourning the death of nelson mandela. let go live now to johannesburg. robyn curnow who has covered nelson mandela's career extensively. i guess the fact that he hasn't been president for 14 years him he has so many people out in the stheet streets. he remains in their hearts on this day. >> reporter: absolutely. you know, nelson mandela's life mirrored south africa's struggle for political freedom and i think that's why people feel so personally checked to him as well a deeply grateful f

life. >> a freeman taking his first steps into a new south africa. >> from prisoner to president. nelson mandela's 1990 release from jail signaled the end of south africa's racist policy of apartheid. he would go on to become the untry's first true democratically elected leader. >> i, nelson mandela do here swear to be faithful to the republic of south africa. >> born to a chief of a small village, mandela was one of 13 children and the first member of his family to attend school. in the 1930's he began opposing authority and the authorities that made colored south africans second-class citizens. as white south africa became more aggressive, so did he. as the head of the armed wing of the african national congress, mandela led violent sabbatini town hall attacks and was arrested and tried in 1962. he would spend 27 years in jail, but he was never forgotten. eventually international and internal pressure led the president to announce apartheid would be dismantled and mandela would walk free. but rather than secret bution, mandela reached out to his former oppressors and tried to h

the press." >>> and good sunday morning. it is a day of prayer and reflection in south africa as the nation mourns its former president, nelson mandela. flags are also at half staff at the white house this morning. president obama and the first lady will be going to south africa on tuesday. and former presidents jimmy carter and bill clinton will also be going to south africa this week. nelson mandela will be laid to rest this week. charlene hunter-gault who worked for npr during nelson mandela's presidency, and from new york, special correspondent tom brokaw. here is tom back in 1990 interviewing nelson mandela after he was released from prison. it's a great photo. the reverend jesse jackson is here, one of the first people to greet mandela after he was released from prison. what a great day that was. we'll talk about it. and he wrote a book entitled "mandela's way." and charles ogletree who marched for mandela's freedom and subsequently met with him several times. welcome to all of you. it's a great privilege to have this conversation. i want to begin in south africa with charl

told in south africa. but she's a woman of tremendous substance. she was in fact the minister of education in mozambique. she became head of the commission of the u.n. on women and children in conflict, and she even today is a member of the elders that goes in and helps to mediate conflict around the world. she's a woman of tremendous substance, a diplomate in her own right. in the last few years she stayed closer to home because her husband was failing in his health. i'm hopeful that she will get back on the world stage and, you know, take that, the lessons of nelson mandela of her own experience, life, to help mediate conflicts globally. >> it's important to notice that two powerful black women, bound together for their love of this great man, themselves were able to be kind and gracious and hospitalable to each other and not vish -- hospitable to each other and not viciously opposed to each other. it's an uncommon moment given reality tv. >> even though that was a bitter goes between nelson mandela and winnie at first, he did find a way to forgive her, too, later in life. ther

received word on the passing of the former president of south africa, nelson mandela at the age of 85. he had been ill for some time. he was in and out of the hospital most of the summer, suffering through lung problems so he wantedded with pneumonia. we received word from the family that mandela was still fighting that he was struggling. let's get to mike now. the president has often called nelson mandela a personal hero. he visited the nation in june. >> right. >> a personal hero, and an inspiration, and you heard the president recount this often told story. as a college student, he got involved in the antiapartheid movement. at that time, his first exposure, inspired to politics by nelson mandela, and the president said something else that he said before. and i think it really strike as cord with the presiden in june he was there with his family. he was not able to meet, because of the ailing -- because nelson mandela was of course ailing. he met with his family. was told of nelson mandela's condition at that point, he had first met president mandela in 2005, actually here in washingto

with itself and the world. >> it would have been groundbreaking enough to become south africa's first black president, but nelson mandela was so much more. not only to his own country but to people the world over. the freedom fighter has died at the age of 95. madiba, as he was known, sacrificed 25 years of his life in prison so that his countrymen might be free from the bonds of apartheid. >> your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. i, therefore, place in the remaining years of my life in your hands. >> when he was released from prison he was greeted by a crowd black and white and his plight inspired a young college student who would change history himself. >> i'm one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from nelson mandela's life. my very first political action, the first thing i ever did that involved an issue or policy or politics was protest against apartheid. the day he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can be when they are guided by their hopes and not by their fears. >> yesterday evening south afri

, the president of south africa, said the founder of the democratic republic of south africa. it was nelson mandela who created that democracy. that is the miracle that astonished the world and made him such a world figure. he was well known while he was in prison, but when he came out of prison, there was a great question about what would happen. would there be a terrible bloodbath, with they get through the passage to democracy with apartheid? it was because of nelson mandela and his character that they did. the world recognized a peacemaker, and he developed a moral stature in the world that helped him bring south africa into the world community, help them reintegrate into the world terrible it aow role in various hot spots the world. he was very close to president bill clinton. frankly, he could not stand the policies of president george w. bush, which he saw as imperialistic. that was a bit of a public- relations problem for the bush white house. the election of barack obama, the kind of change towards a multiracial society that he saw in south africa as well. it was not just so

kindly stand and the boy's will give you the national anthem of south africa and the national anthem of the good old usa. [music] [applause] >> marvelous rendition of our national anthem, but an incredibly impressive rendition of the south african national anthem. can you imagine those young persons, two or three days a week with every song and every opportunity for good music, being told by mayor ed lee about 48 hours ago what they next had to do? and they started rehearsing and they rehearsed and they put it together and please, another round of applause for that selection. [applause] >> for the occasion, a man who presides over city hall and all of san francisco, mayor ed lee. [applause] >> thank you mayor brown. welcome everyone to the peoples' palace at city hall, san francisco. today we mourn the loss of a great world leader who inspired the world and forever changed the hearts and minds of millions. the outpouring that we have already felt and the unprecedented /treu buttes we have already seen show us the love that the world has had for nelson mandela. former south african presi

. >> nelson mandela, speaking after his release from 27 years in prison in south africa. his conviction, his courage changed the world. mr. mandela went from freedom fighter to political prisoner to president. >> his message of reconciliat n reconciliation, not vengeance, inspired people everywhere after he negotiated a peaceful end to the brutal segregation of black south africans and forgiveness for what the white government had done, oppressed them and imprisoned him. today, the world is remembering ali con. >> nelson mandela. nelson mandela. ♪ >> in south africa, the grieving and mourning are mixed with songs and celebration. for the man affectionately known by his clan name madibmadiba. remembering the life and legacy of any son mandela. i'm suzanne malveaux. >> i'm michael holmes. thanks for your company. it is interesting how much of a celebration it has been. there is the mourning. there were tears tonight. today it's been singing and dancing, people celebrating the life. >> he seems to have an impact on just about everyone. people around the world are reacting. we

the that's dumb. ♪ ♪ >>> in july 2013 when i went to south africa, 95-year-old nelson mandela was critically ill. and the country he freed from white minority rule was already in mourning, and already fearful of what the future might be without him. >> the world still needs him. >> i pray that something takes baton from him. >> i wish you a speedy recovery. and come back to his people. >> a good friend of mine a really great travel writer said something the more i travel the less i know. i feel that particularly strongly here in south africa, a place i came in a state of near total ignorance loaded with preconceptions. for the first part of my life the south africa i knew was not a happy place or a good place. it was a pariah state. surrealistically, outrageously divided into black and white. a throwback to attitudes we thought we'd long learned to rejec reject. ed nationalist government in south africa enacted apartheid laws in 1948. who you could marry, where you lived, where you could walk, be educated, everything decided by racist laws backed by police, army and secret service

out in his country as south africa holds a national day of prayer to honor the man they call mondiva the father of modern south africa. we'll talk to friends and followers of the former president who died last week at the age of 95. that and the other news of the day on "face the nation." >> schieffer: good morning again, the storm that left parts of the south and midwest in an icy deep freeze is now moved east, it's expected to hit virginia and mid atlantic states today then move up the east coast towards boston and new york. we begin this morning in south africa where debra begins our coverage of the day of national prayer for nelson mandela. >> good morning, bob. well this being a multi-faced country we saw many church services around the country today part of the national day of prayer and reflection nor nelson mandela. in the very famous regina muda during the anti-apartheid struggle a large service there this morning, the guiding light of this country. also prayer service at a methodist church in johannesburg that was attended by the president and the nelson mandela fam

. our nation has lost its greatest son. our people have lost a father. >> south africa and the world in mourning at this moment. world leaders expressing their condolences. president obama addressed us earlier this evening. >> he achieved more than could be expected of any man. and today he's gone home. and we've lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth. i am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from nelson mandela's life. my very first political action, the first thing i ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics was a protest against aparthe apartheid. i would study his words and his writings. the day he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they're guided by their hopes and not by their fears. >> mandela was born in 1918 in eastern cape province, south africa, one of 13 children in the family of a fairly high status clan. he would go on to be a lawyer after an incredibly rare education in a white supremacist nation that was explicit

new details about tribut tributes south africa's first black president and president obama intention to attend a memorial service for one of his personal heroes, who transformed his country and inspired people all over the world. >> we've lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> you're look at a live picture from south africa where it's 6:00 a.m. right now. many people waking up to the news of nelson mandela's death. no single person has changed that country more than the former prisoner who became president and few people are as beloved around the world as a symbol of both freedom and forgiveness. mandela's life and legacy are being celebrated this hour. at the south african embassy here in washington, d.c., at the apollo theater in new york city and indeed all across the united states and around the world. nelson mandela walked out of prison in 1990, after 27 years brutal years behind bars, jailed for his fight to end south africa's system of ra

essentially hand the power of south africa to this historic south african leader. we hung around and some of the vips left these behind, so i was smart enough to pick up a couple. >> very smart. >> but i remember walking back to the hotel, i went down a hill, and there were just some city parks. there were people, poor people sitting in parks, all black people, just tears of joy. you've seen so many tears, if you cover wars or tragedy, you see so many tears of tragedy. there were tears of joy and people with nothing were celebrating the most that day. it is the most powerful thing i have ever seen. >> you remember that day, i assume, mr. ambassador? >> that was one of the most poignant days, for us, the moment that suddenly we were now responsible for running this country. with the airplanes. >> the fly-over. >> came over, our first instinct was to duck for cover, but then we realized, and someone shouted, they are ours. and that was the moment when power settled into the hands of nelson mandela, but not in a way that was harsh, but he dealt with that power with the greatest of gentl

accomplishing that he freed south africa's white population and freed an entire nation and in freeing a nation, he freed the entire world. that's it for me. that's it for me. "ac 360" starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> thanks, good evening everyone. we're devoting this hour to nelson mandela. very few people transformed their country. the crowd outside his house speak to that. ♪ ♪ >> sad news, there is a sense of celebration how far nelson mandela brought south africa and brought us all and opened our eyes to better angels to justice over injustice and compassion in the face of cruelty and sometimes in an unforgiving world to forgiveness. >> 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. >> south africa's president announcing the death a short time later, president obama paid a deeply personal tribute. >> we've lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time w

thinks the future of south africa should be. >> i felt very strongly, prison is not the place for anybody. >> we will not likely see the likes of nelson mandela again, to make decisions not by hate but love, to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice. >> it is not the individuals that matter. i am your servant. i don't come to you as a he had leader. >> apartness. that is what apartheid means in the african language. keeping the majority of the population apart from the minority white population. they would order them to live in separate designated areas, ban the black population from certain jobs, prohibit marriage from white people and nonwhite people, prohibit sex between black and white people. force segregation in all areas of public transportation, deny black people full use of the court system, force black people to carry identification at all times, that included their birth place, tax records and any and all encounters with police. and it would have to create boss, the bureau of state security which could use indefinite detention without trial. nelson mandela

him in history books and i had the pleasure of meeting him when i lived in south africa. i understood why he captured the hearts of a generation and world. >> there's the picture. tell us about that picture and what happened. >> there it is, there i am with reverend jessie jackson. he's taking the phone so the reverend can put his wife on the phone to give a hello. the morning i met former president nelson mandela. he spoke to me in an incredible voice that is unique and said, "morgan, are you here to visit me." he was reading four papers, one in africans, english, zulu. his mind was sharp. he was brilliant, vibrant, all the things you would expect. >> when you lived in south africa, what was it like when you were there? >> when i was there it was surprisingly still very racially tense. this is something that is not foreign to me, because i am a southerner, and i come from greens bro north carolina which has racial tension, like a bad hang over from the 1960s that put us on the map. when i lived in south africa, it was not foreign to me, but it was different. this is what i hear. my p

blessing to south africa and to the world. that's what we're seeing here. it is a thrill to be here, no question about it. through this cold and soaking rain. the spirit of the place, warming this event, without question. george? >> i think we'll hope that it rains all day long there in south africa. let's go outside the stadium, as well. alex marquardt is there. alex, 100 world leaders in that stadium right now. this would be a security challenge for any country. tell us a little bit about what kind of precautions, if any, have been taken, that you've seen. >> reporter: you're absolutely right, george. this is an unprecedented event in south african history. south african officials say this is the tightest security pla south african officials say this is the tightest security plan they have ever had. they are confident it will go off without a hitch. they point to past events, past world summits with large numbers of dignitaries. the world cup in 2010 which went very well. the same security team that was in place that in that operations room in 2010 is also there today. the governm