Saturday 7 December 2013
Monalisa Chinda Visits Kirikiri Prison, Lagos
Nollywood Star Monalisa Chinda visits Kirikiri Prison, Lagos | Encourages & Donates Items to Female Inmates – Photos & Scoop
On Sunday 16th September 2013, Nollywood star Monalisa Chinda visited the Kirikiri Prison, Apapa, Lagos for a charity visit which lasted for several hours.
Looking super chic for the visit, Mona rocked a pale chiffon button-up blouse, grey pants and a pair of Unclad strap platforms. Wavy dark locks, chic dark shades, silver drop earrings and a gold cocktail ring completed the look.
Monalisa donated various items including food stuff, clothes, underwear, toiletries, perfume bottles and sanitary provisions, through her Arise Monalisa Foundation.
She also took time to interact and encourage the prison inmates who were happy to receive her.
Speaking to the inmates on the visit, she said “Though we may not be in control of what happens to us in life, we are absolutely responsible for our reactions to what happens to us. And it is our reaction that ultimately determines the results and quality of our lives. On getting here today, I was told some inmates were recently released by strange interventions, so this can’t be the end for you.”
As some prisoners wept, Mona further said “I want you to know that there is more to your life than your present state and, no matter what anyone has said to you, there is hope for you.”.
According to her rep, the inmates were not allowed to be photographed, but they had a great time bonding with the actress.
During the week which also marked her birthday (Friday 13th September 2013), Monalisa also visited the Patrick Speech & Languages School in Lagos which cares for autistic children, to make donations.
Chidinma Talks About Her Sex Scandal And Life As A Star
Kora award winner and Ex Project Fame winner, Chidinma Ekile, tells ‘Nonye Ben-Nwankwo how she has been able to manage the recent controversies surrounding her
You won Kora Awards last year and this year again, you were nominated for an international award, Channel O Awards. Did you ever imagine that you would get to this stage?
No way. I never imagined it in any way. All I did was just to be focused. I knew this was what I loved doing and I decided to just keep doing it. I didn’t expect that it would get this big. Sometimes I sit back and I think back of how it started.
But did the awards have any impact on your career?
Oh yes. When I won the Kora and got back to Nigeria, it was a whole different experience. People started treating me differently. They wondered how ‘small’ Chidinma could go to Cote D’ivoire and bring the Kora home. It added to my profile. Being nominated for the Channel O Award is a big deal for me even if I didn’t clinch the award.
How has it been since then?
It has been good and challenging. It has been a lot of work.
Did you go back to school?
Oh yes. I am managing my career and my studies. I don’t have a choice. I wake up every day and I realise I have a lot of things to do. This is really the best time to tidy up my education. This is my youth. I get busier by the day. It will get tougher. I have to do what I have to do before time gets tougher.
Are you not scared or intimidated competing with other bigger female artistes in the industry?
I have never been a competition person even though I am a product of a competition. But I didn’t see Project Fame as a competition. I was doing what I love doing. In the industry, I am not in any competition. I am just Chidinma. I have tried to carve a niche for myself. I try to be different all the time. I don’t like a situation where somebody will say ‘Chidinma sounds like this person or that person.’ When that comes, competition arises. I am not in for that. I just want to be me and I always try to improve. I want to be versatile. I don’t want to be put in a box. I am here to have fun and make money at the same time.
But you must look up to some of the female artistes…
Definitely. Most of the time I was preparing for the Project Fame competition, I listened to Omawumi a lot. I followed her right from the time she came out of West African Idols. I just loved her kind of music. It is African and she has lots of messages at the same time. I love Onyeka Onwenu as well. I can learn from any one. I am still able to talk and ask question. I am still their baby.
Do you owe Project Fame all you have achieved?
I owe it to Project Fame to a reasonable extent. I don’t think I would be here if not for Project Fame. I didn’t take music seriously. I felt it was something I could do during my leisure. I didn’t know it would become a profession.
If you hadn’t won, you wouldn’t have been bothered?
It wouldn’t have mattered. I didn’t even know I was going to win. I felt I was having fun and if I got money, it was okay. I didn’t want to be the winner. I didn’t want everybody’s eyes to be on me. But it happened and I didn’t have a choice. I decided to give it a trial. That is why I am here today.
You eventually came into the spotlight and it opened doors to controversies and scandals…
I have been in the news lately. My manager told me that I am a balloon on top of lots of needles. People want me to drop on those needles and get deflated. He told me to be careful. The first time was when my Unclad picture went viral. I actually went for a photo shoot for my friend. I wore a tube dress. Some mischief makers actually cropped off the lower part of the picture and posted it on the Internet. It was as if I was Unclad. I wasn’t happy at all. I had that picture. I had to post the real picture on the net and people now got convinced the Unclad picture wasn’t original. I thought that was the end, I didn’t know a bigger scandal was coming…
You mean the sex video?
Oh yes. I woke up one morning and I was greeted on the internet with ‘Chidinma and Compromizing Video’. I was worried primarily because of my mother. I didn’t let her see the video but I had to show her the photos. I didn’t want to go out that day. I couldn’t go out. But my mum felt otherwise. She told me to ignore the mischief makers. I almost took some actions but I thought against it. I met Sound Sultan on a set. He told me, ‘Babe, you are now a star. I welcome you officially into the industry.’ I trended for three days. Even people who didn’t know me got to know me. My fan base grew. And then, I was happy because more than 90 per cent of the public didn’t believe I was the one in that video. There were people who didn’t need to see the video to believe I couldn’t have done such thing. I am just grateful to everyone who didn’t believe the story. My twitter account was hacked and the people created another account. They kept releasing nasty pictures and they were even responding to the tweets as if I was the one doing it. I was just watching and laughing. It put me in the spotlight. I used it for good.
But such scandal shouldn’t be good for your career…
Ever since I started, I have been scared of scandals. I didn’t want to have any. But I realised that I cannot run away from it. It is just normal. It is not everybody who is happy seeing me rise. Some people are trying to do something to stop me. But Compromizing Video is not enough to stop me. They should bring up something else. The Compromizing Video just took me to another level in my career. It moved me up. This is no more ‘little’ Chidinma. It didn’t bring me down in any way. I am still doing a lot of things.
One of the Skuki boys said he is in love with you and would want to marry you…
Oh yes. Everybody wants to marry me but I am not ready for marriage.
But the boy came out publicly and declared his love for you…
I laughed when I saw that story. I have not considered his request. I still have to make more money before I consider marriage. He is actually my friend and he never told me something like that. I have been linked with so many people. People cannot imagine me being a saint. They are just looking for something to attach to me.
How does it feel like being a star?
It is a lot of work. People see me and envy me and say ‘ohhh, she is now a star and she must be enjoying’. I am not enjoying. The more you are there, the more you do things. The expectation is now so high. Being a star is not so much fun because you have to do more work. You have to please people. You have to smile even when you are not in the mood. It is so frustrating. But then, you owe it to some people, you have put yourself out there. This is what I have signed for. Nobody begged me to do this.
Friday 6 December 2013
South Africa since apartheid: Boom or bust?
Just 20 years ago, when the world was entering a new era of high technology and test-driving the
information super highway that is now the World Wide Web, South Africans still battled the racist apartheid of the National Party and suffered in the poverty of an almost bankrupt state.Today, almost 20 years since Nelson Mandela established the country as a democracy, South Africa is the economic powerhouse of sub-Saharan Africa and the largest economy in the second largest continent in the world.
"I almost joke and say we directly moved from drums to cell phones, without the entire generation of landline technology," said Ebrahim Rasool, South African Ambassador to the United States.
As the country launched a satellite last week, Rasool suggests the next generation is already being developed and technology is one of the brightest areas for future economic growth.
According to a recent report released by investment banking giant Goldman Sachs, South Africa's Gross Domestic Product has since almost tripled to $400 billion; foreign exchange reserves have increased from $3 billion to nearly $50 billion; and a growing and sizable African middle class was created, within two decades of freedom.
"Perhaps the most striking successes since 1994 are the creation of a growing and sizable African middle class, increased real wages for the employed, and the extension of social welfare and services to underprivileged communities," said Colin Coleman, managing director at Goldman Sachs International.
Coleman, who's the head of investment banking for sub-Saharan Africa, says in the first 14 years of democracy the country's ethnically African middle class more than doubled in size and in the past two decades real GDP per capita increased by 40%, while 10 million South Africans, one out of five, graduated from the lower to the middle and higher income bands.
However, many, including Coleman himself, realize how poverty, inequality, and unemployment continue to haunt this nation of 52 million.
"Structural unemployment and racial economic inequality continues to plague South Africa. Five million jobs have been added in the past 20 years, but insufficient to lower the overall rate of unemployment.
Now 14 million people are working and 7 million are not," said Coleman, who adds that unlocking job
opportunities for more South Africans would unleash tremendous growth.
In loosening these restraints, Rasool says education is the most important challenge to address, where there are marked inconsistencies between the working class's education and skills verses the growing markets and jobs.
According to Rasool 40% of South Africa's population is under the age of 35 and that's where, among black people, unemployment is the highest.
He also says the majority of these youths who grew up under apartheid "are not unemployed, but rather unemployable" due to illiteracy and lack of skills.
Rasool argues many traditional areas of employment, such as agriculture, mining and textiles, are either mechanized or replaced by cheap labor -- suggesting that "in order to move this generation to the next we need to find a way to put the skills and the jobs together."
This is a hurdle that Ann Bernstein, head of CDE, a South African think tank in social and economic development, traces to a lack of education -- even among the teachers who school the young generation that is getting ready to enter the workforce.
According to Bernstein around 80% of public schools are dysfunctional and the quality of schooling for the majority of poor people is abysmal. She suggests the key reform is to introduce performance management of principals and teachers.
"We cannot allow a situation to continue where many teachers do not come to school on Mondays and Fridays, when they are in class they do not teach much, and where they often are unable to pass tests in the very subject they are supposed to be teaching," said Bernstein.
Reports indicate that internal corruption remains a problem in South Africa, but the government says it has been clamping down on corrupt officials, with 2,638 officials found guilty of misconduct related to corrupt activities between 1 September 2004 and 31 August 2013.
But still government management faces other challenges; "The government needs to be clearer on its priorities, and its approach to regulation and the role of markets, for the country to achieve a coherent approach to the most important issues of job creation, FDI and growth," said Coleman, who believes in the need for collaboration to encourage and facilitate private companies to invest in the country.
But despite the challenges the country faces, Rasool praises what South Africans have accomplished in their short experience with democracy and freedom.
"Twenty years ago, many of these people had no electricity, water and had their lands taken away from them," said Rasool, who praises programs such as accessible healthcare, social security networks and programs that look after young children, elderly, and the disabled.
According to Rasool, 20 years from now, half of South Africa's population will be under the age of 35; and based on the Goldman Sachs report, in the longer term, if the country could raise economic growth from an average 3.3% over the last 20 years to 5% per annum over the next 20 years, it would half formal unemployment over that period.
In a country where millions are still taunted by the miserable memories of apartheid, others who have no memories of the past are impatient to move forward in haste.
"The young black people with the memory of apartheid are patient because they know what they have now is infinitely better than the past; but those with no memory from the past have aspirations beyond what's immediately available at hand," said Rasool. He adds that in order to create another 20 years of robust growth for South Africans the two have to meet hand in hand.
Source: CNN
Nelson Mandela's funeral, farewell plans - a day by day breakdown
For the Xhosa people of South Africa, death is traditionally not something to be talked about or to be planned for, no matter how inevitable or close it may seem.
But those close to Nelson Mandela had little choice as the country's first black leader lay in a Pretoria hospital and then at home in Johannesburg on life support.
In the final years of his life, secret plans were hammered out between the government, the military and his family as they prepared for a fitting farewell for a great man.
Below is a breakdown of how those plans will unfold over the next 10 days, culminating in a state funeral to be broadcast to millions worldwide and a very private farewell for those closest to him.
As is often the case with events of this magnitude, plans might change due to weather, security and other factors. But for now, this is what the authorities and the family hope to will happen.
According to multiple sources involved with the planning of the final farewell to the South African icon, the 10 days of mourning will combine both Western traditions and those of the Thembu, Mandela's native clan.
Day 1 to Day 4
Mandela passed away at 8.50 p.m. Thursday (1.50 p.m. ET), surrounded by his family, South African President Jacob Zuma said. CNN understands that during his final hours, Mandela would have also been surrounded by Thembu elders. Importantly, at some stage - either at his home or in the mortuary - the traditional leaders will gather for a first ceremony, a tradition called "the closing of the eyes."
Throughout the ceremony, they'll be talking to Mandela, as well as to his tribal ancestors, to explain what's happening at each and every stage to ease the transition from life to beyond.
After the ceremony, it's believed Mandela's body will be embalmed at the mortuary, which is understood to be a military hospital in Pretoria.
Day 5
No formal public events will be held until five days after Mandela's death when tens of thousands of people are expected to converge on the FNB Stadium, known as Soccer City in Soweto for a memorial service.
It was at that stadium that in July 2010 Mandela made his last public appearance at the World Cup final.
Spectators rose to their feet, their cheers partly drowned out by the deafening shriek of thousands of vuvuzelas to pay tribute to the then-92- year-old who some had feared might be too infirm to show up.
Spectators rose to their feet, their cheers partly drowned out by the deafening shriek of thousands of vuvuzelas to pay tribute to the then-92- year-old who some had feared might be too infirm to show up.
In stark contrast to the mood of elation, the atmosphere on Day 5 is expected to hang heavy with grief as a nation mourns Madiba.
It is unclear whether Mandela's casket will be there.
Some world leaders might attend this memorial service instead of the state funeral later on in the week.
A White House Official tells CNN the administration is working on plans for President Barack Obama to travel to South Africa to attend the memorial service.
Day 6 to 8
According to sources, Mandela's body will then lie in state for three days at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the seat of power of the South African government.
The first day will be reserved for dignitaries. The public will be allowed to file past his casket on days 7 and 8. Viewing hours areexpected to be limited to daylight. Long lines will likely form from the very early hours of the morning.
It was at the historic Union Buildings that Mandela was inaugurated as president on May 10, 1994. On that extraordinary day, crowds converged around the building to witness history being made. That day, a former political prisoner achieved what was once unthinkable and became South Africa's first post-apartheid black leader.
Day 9
Nine days after Mandela's death, a military aircraft will leave a Pretoria airbase and fly south to Mthatha, the main town in the South African province of Eastern Cape.
Thembu elders and members of the Mandela family make the journey with Mandela's casket.
Thousands of mourners are expected to line the streets from Mthatha airport to watch as the military transports Mandela's casket on a gun carriage to the remote village of Qunu, where the former leader spent his childhood years.
Along the way the procession is expected to pause for prayers to allow ordinary South Africans to pay their respects.
Once at Mandela's house, the military will formally pass responsibility for his remains to his family.
The South African flag that is expected to be draped over the coffin will be replaced with a traditional Xhosa blanket, symbolizing the return of one of their own.
At dusk, ANC leaders, local chiefs and Mandela's family are expected to gather for a private night vigil before a very public funeral the next day.
Day 10
The funeral and burial will be on the grounds of Mandela's Qunu home. It's expected that thousands of people, including dozens of heads of state, will gather for the state funeral. The funeral will take place
under a large tent nestled in the hills where Mandela ran and played as a child.
A tight military cordon is expected, in an attempt to assuage security fears. The event will be broadcast to an audience of millions around the world.
At midday - when the summer sun is high in the sky - Mandela will be buried into the rocky soil of his homeland. Only a few hundred close family members will bid that final farewell to Mandela as he is laid to rest.
The burial area has been especially built for him; some of Mandela's long deceased family members are already buried at the site.
It will be, according to custom, a homecoming.
His grave site is surrounded by rocky outcrops, hardy grass used for the grazing cattle and bright orange aloe plants.
The aloes are indigenous succulents which are hardy, drought-resistant, medicinal plants that bloom across the bushveld when all else is dry and dull. A symbolic floral gesture to a man whose life was filled with sacrifice and tragedy but who triumphed with a tenacity of spirit and hope in even the darkest of days.
Source: CNN
Nelson Mandela: 10 surprising facts you probably didn't know
He was loved and admired the world over, profiled in books and movies, and showered with awards and accolades. But even the most public of personalities have little-known facts buried in their biographies.
Here are 10 surprising facts you probably didn't know about Nelson Mandela:
1. He lived up to his name:
Mandela's birth name was Rolihlahla. In Xhosa, one of the official languages of South Africa, "Rolihlahla" means "pulling the branch of a tree" -- or, troublemaker. (The name "Nelson" was given to him by his teacher on his first day of elementary school. It's not clear why she chose that particular name. It was the early 1920s, and African children were given English names so British colonials could pronounce them easily).
2. He had a cameo in a Spike Lee film:
He had a bit part in Spike Lee's 1992 biopic "Malcolm X." At the very end of the movie, he plays a teacher reciting Malcolm X's famous speech to a room full of Soweto school kids. But the pacifist Mandela wouldn't say "by any means necessary." So Lee cut back to a footage of Malcolm X to close out the film.
3. There's a woodpecker named after him:
From Cape Town to California, streets named after Mandela abound. But he's also been the subject of some rather unusual tributes. Last year, scientists named a prehistoric woodpecker after him: Australopicus nelsonmandelai. In 1973, the physics institute at Leeds University named a nuclear particle the 'Mandela particle.'
4. He married a First Lady:
Before tying the knot with Mandela on his 80th birthday, Graca Machel was married to Mozambique President Samora Machel. Her marriage to Mandela after her husband's death means she has been the first lady of two nations.
5. He was a master of disguise:
When Mandela was eluding authorities during his fight against apartheid, he disguised himself in various ways, including as a chauffeur. The press nicknamed him "the Black Pimpernel" because of his police evasion tactics. "I became a creature of the night. I would keep to my hideout during the day, and would emerge to do my work when it became dark," he says in his biography, "Long Walk to Freedom."
6. A bloody sport intrigued him:
Besides politics, Mandela's other passion was boxing. "I did not like the violence of boxing. I was more interested in the science of it - how you move your body to protect yourself, how you use a plan to attack and retreat, and how you pace yourself through a fight," he says in his biography.
7. His favorite dish is probably not yours:
He's been wined and dined by world leaders. But what Mandela loved eating most was tripe. Yup, the stomach lining of farm animals.
8. He quit his day job:
He studied law at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and opened the nation's first black law firm in Johannesburg in 1952.
9. He was on the U.S. terror watch list:
Mandela wasn't removed from the U.S. terror watch list until 2008 -- at age 89. He and other members of the African National Congress were placed on it because of their militant fight against apartheid.
10. He drew his inspiration from a poem:
While locked up at Robben Island for decades, Mandela would read William Ernest Henley's "Invictus" to fellow prisoners. The poem, about never giving up, resonated with Mandela for its lines "I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul." You may know it from the movie, Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela.
Source: CNN
SEUN KUTI- MY DAD, AND MOM DIED OF HIV / AIDS
For the first time in many years, it seems the family of the late Afro Beat creator, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, may have finally acknowledged that the music maestro died of AIDS related ailments.
This revelation was made known by the younger son of the music legend, Seun Kuti, who confessed on Y!TV’s Rubbin’ Minds with Ebuka, that his father and mother actually died from the dreaded disease.
Seun who has taken after his father, especially by being outspoken, confirmed that despite denials by family members when Fela died in 1997, it was actually HIV/AIDS that killed him as well as his own mother.
Seun therefore vowed to live a responsible life instead of following in that aspect of his father’s reckless sexual lifestyle.
Nollywood Actor Kenneth Okonkwo Breaks-up With Fiance For Another Lady
Things like this could be very painful to the broken hearted because marriage is finally near but the truth is if you aren't happy with someone then you don't need to stay in the relationship just to keep
them happy. Remember Kenneth Okonkwo was reportedly engaged to one Mariam Kess Momoh, but as it stands now, Mariam will not have the privilege to be Mrs Okonkwo, as the former Mr Nigeria has found a new lover.
BON bans 2face, D'banj, Iyanya etc
For quite some time now, the Copyrights Society of Nigeria (COSON), has been harassing the Broadcasting Society of Nigeria (BON) and the Independent Broadcasting Society of Nigeria, IBAN, insisting that they pay royalties for playing the songs of Nigerian artists. COSON has dragged several radio and TV stations to court, demanding millions, sometimes billions of Naira in royalty.
Well, it seems IBAN and BON have had enough. Two days ago, they announced the ban of all Nigerian artists registered with COSON. Meaning that they ordered the immediate stop to the airing of songs of artists who are COSON members.
The artists include 2face Idibia, D'banj, Onyeka Onwenu, Iyanya, Banky W, Flavour, Ice Prince, Dr Sid, Olamide, 9ice, M.I, eLDee, Ruggedman, Wizkid, Asa, Waje, Omawumi and several others.
In a statement released and signed jointly by the President and Secretary of IBAN, Sonny Adun and Guy Murray Bruce, the need for such a drastic step was due to "the antagonism and harassment under the leadership of Tony Okoroji (COSON Chairman)”. Continue...
The statement in part reads "No person or organisation, particularly a collection society such as COSON has a monopoly of authority over any other…IBAN and BON have the utmost respect for Nigerian artistes in their individual and collective capacities and have indeed contributed more than any known institution to the promotion of Nigerian music and the development of the entertainment industry as a whole."
They are accusing COSON of arbitrarily imposing and concocting fees which are not based on any agreeable and verifiable tariff and standards.
However Mr Okoroji while reacting to the decision of the broadcasting bodies says the issue here is the strict stand COSON has on the royalties of artist works used on any of the broadcast stations. He says some stations have this attitude of "we can handle COSON" and goes on airing the works of the artist without paying them their due royalty which COSON is strongly against.
Meanwhile the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria interim president has released a statement on the ban on airplay of Nigerian artists by BON. The statement below...
PMAN Speaks on the current ban of airplay of Nigerian artists by BON & IBAN
The Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria is appalled by the recent development spearheaded by the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and Independent Broadcasters’ Association of Nigeria (IBAN) via an official press release yesterday, calling for the immediate airplay ban on all media platforms on content from Nigerian artistes, the association which was created with the sole mission to PROTECT, PRESERVE, and PROMOTE Nigerian musicianshas decided to react on the ban and on-going feud between the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria(BON), Independent Broadcasters’ Association of Nigeria (IBAN) and Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) calling for an immediate reversal of the ban in the interest of these artistes whom we know that all the above mentioned organisations have their best interests at heart.
The ban on airplay of these Nigerian artistes and their music on various Nigerian media platforms is from our standpointvery unfair, demeaning and discouraging. Weall knowwithout a doubt that these same artistes who have persevered and assisted us to build, today what is known as the Nigerian music industry, Africa’s biggest entertainment export to the world are the same people that are now being victimised. With this action, the association foresees a situation where this ban will, rather than encourage well meaning members of the society, with musical talent to hone their craft and join the success story of the entertainment industry, reverse will be the case. We also foresee a situation where the bulk of the material that will be circulated on nigerian airwaves will be foreign materials, celebrating alien artistes instead of embracing, home grown talent and ourcultural heritage.
COSONin it’s own right by a mandate given to the organisation acts as a collecting society for these artistes, helping to monitor and collect royalties entitled to them. As a collecting society, they have since inception acted as a shield to these artistes protecting their intellectual rights. BON& IBAN are arguing that the tariffs and standards presented to them by COSON should be defended and agreeable with them, but we know that the ban is not the best invitation to the negotiating table.
Article 3.13.2.2 of the Broadcast code issued by NBC says: ‘For the purpose of free-to-air broadcast, Nigerian music shall constitute 80 per cent of all music broadcast’. If this ban is sustained, and 80% of the music played on the various media platforms are foreign material, we should ask ourselves as guardians of the music industry, if these media houses are paying the royalties owed to these foreign artistes, and thereby sidelining Nigerian music by Nigerian artistes, are we supporting them or failing them?We should also ask ourselves, ifthis ban which will invariably affect the rising profile of the Nigerian music industry in the world, economically and in relevance is good for us.
With these ongoing conflicts, lets not forget the owners of this intellectual properties, the music owners, record label owners, recording artistes, the instrumentalists, composers, who have spent time and money producing and packaging, what we know, enjoy and call music, their interests should be siginifcant in these agreements.
In light of all that has been mentioned above we ask again that the ban be reversed and that all the affected parties and major stakeholders in the entertainment industry sit down for a dialogue and reach a favourable agreement, beneficial to everyone involved.
Things you dont know about South Africa's Nelson Mandela
South Africa's first black president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela has died, South Africa's president says.
Mr Mandela, 95, led South Africa's transition from white-minority rule in the 1990s, after 27 years in prison.
He had been receiving intense home-based medical care for a lung infection after three months in hospital.
In a statement on South African national TV, Mr Zuma said Mr Mandela had "departed" and was at peace.
1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
1943 Joined African National Congress
1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped after a four-year trial
1962 Arrested, convicted of incitement and leaving country without a passport, sentenced to five years in prison
1964 Charged with sabotage, sentenced to life
1990 Freed from prison
1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
1994 Elected first black president
1999 Steps down as leader
2001 Diagnosed with prostate cancer
2004 Retires from public life
2005 Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness
Excerpt: BBC.co.uk
Nelson Mandela's Life In Pictures
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