Karzai to attend Mandela burial ceremony

 KABUL): President Hamid Karzai is scheduled to leave neighboring Iran for South Africa to attend the burial ceremony of the late Nelson Mandela, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

Nelson Mandela died some days back at his home in Houghton, South Africa. He was suffering from a recurring lung infection and was frequently in the hospital over the last year.

The revolutionary South African leader fought passionately against the injustice of apartheid and later dedicated himself to bringing the South African nation together peacefully after apartheid was abolished.

The statement said that memorial ceremony for the late leader will be held Tuesday in the Soweto soccer stadium, where around 60 leaders from other countries would arrive to pay homage to the late leader.

The statement said late Mandela was a great leader who fought against apartheid and emerged as a towering personality for world leaders.

After serving 27 years in prison for fighting apartheid, he became a leading international figure. Along with the F.W. de Klerk, the South African President in 1993 won the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1994, Mandela was elected as the president of South Africa, and served one term, through 1999. He became an icon and a widely admired leader.

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