People Around the World Pay Tribute to Nelson Mandela

While South Africans spent the day paying tribute to their beloved former president, Nelson Mandela – who passed away two years ago today at his Houghton home – people around the world also paused to praise the former statesman and reflect on his incredible legacy.

International celebrities paid tribute (see below) and Shimi Braude, from Football for Peace in Australia – who is involved in projects using football for peace – uploaded the video below and told SAPeople: “I am an Australian, with a passion for using sport as a tool for achieving peace – something that Mandela was a big advocate of.

“I was inspired by him during his lifetime, and want to further his legacy by spreading his contributions to society…” Shimi is currently organising a match in Morocco between an African and European peace team.

Nelson Mandela will always be South Africa’s hero…but we shared him with the world. And he inspired us all.

He was given the freedom of 45 cities around the world, and honorary citizenship of 11 cities.

In Johannesburg, his image was cast in a 6m-high bronze statue and stands preserved in his famous jive in Nelson Mandela Square.

The countless tributes to him around the world are without precedent. He had 23 schools, universities and institutions named after him; 25 halls, buildings, monuments and housing developments; 13 stadiums, squares, plazas, parks and gardens; 91 streets, roads, boulevards and parks; 32 bursaries and scholarships, foundations and lectures. Thirteen statues, sculptures and artworks carry his name.

From 1979 onwards, Madiba was awarded 76 degrees, including 42 doctorates, from universities in 30 countries of the world. That’s more than two degrees every year.

Madiba collected dozens of accolades from around the world: 18 sports-related honours and awards, and 115 other awards.

He had a range of strange items named after him: a landfill site, a spider, a sea-slug, a protea, a tea, an orchid, a rescue dog, and a racehorse.

Although the EFF’s Julius Malema controversially told a gathering in London last week that Mandela had betrayed the Freedom Charter by mixing with rich white people, Mandela will always be remembered for his compassion for all people, forgiveness of all and the spirit of Ubuntu by which he lived.

His life remains the greatest inspiration not only to South Africans but to the rest of the world too.

Tribute for Nelson Mandela from an Australian

International Celebrities Pay Tribute to Nelson Mandela

Partly sourced from MediaClubSouthAfrica.com