December 05, 2013 6:18:16 PM - The Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu:

1. Condolences: To uTata Mandela's beloved wife, Graca Machel, his former wife, Winnie Madikizela, the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren - and to all the Madibas - we express our deepest and most heartfelt sympathy on the loss of your paterfamilias, your patriarch. Although we collectively claim him as the father of our nation, and the pain we feel is similar to that of losing a close relative, he was your husband, your father and your grandfather. We pray that God will dry your tears and renew your strength. We thank you for sharing uTata with us. And we thank God for him. We are relieved that his suffering is over, but our relief is drowned by our grief. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

 2. People cared about Nelson Mandela, loved him, because of his courage, convictions and care of others'. He set aside the bitterness of enduring 27 years in apartheid prisons - and the weight of centuries of colonial division, subjugation and repression - to personify the spirit and practice of Ubuntu. He perfectly understood that people are dependent on other people in order for individuals and society to prosper.

3. He transcended race and class in his personal actions, through his warmth and through his willingness to listen and to emphasise with others. And he restored others' faith in Africa and Africans.

4. Was Nelson Mandela an anomaly, an exception that proves the rule?

I would say, no. Certainly, he was exceptional. But the spirit of greatness that he personified resides in all of us. Human beings are made for greatness. Nelson Mandela embodied and reflected our collective greatness. He embodied our hopes and our dreams. He symbolised our enormous potential, potential that has not always been fulfilled.

Nelson Mandela was not a lone wolf, and he did not fall from the sky. He learned about leadership and culture growing up in the care of AbaThembu Regent Jongintaba after the death of his father. He learned from the experience of developing a voice for young people in anti-apartheid politics, and from physically prosecuting the struggle. He learned from the comrades who surrounded him, an extraordinary generation of leaders. To all of this, the crucible of prison seemed to add a deep understanding of the human condition and a profound ability to empathise with others.

Like a most precious diamond honed deep beneath the surface of the earth, the Madiba who emerged from prison in January 1990 was virtually flawless.

December 05, 2013 5:56:16 PM - Australian prime minister Tony Abbott says:

The world mourns the passing of Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela will forever be remembered as more than a political leader, he was a moral leader.

He spent much of his life standing against the injustice of apartheid.

When that fight was won, he inspired us again by his capacity to forgive and reconcile his country.

While the world may never see another Nelson Mandela, he has inspired countless men and women throughout the world to live more courageous and honest lives.

On behalf of the Australian Government and the Australian community, I extend my condolences to Mr Mandela's family and to the people of South Africa.

December 05, 2013 5:30:38 PM - OBAMA HAILS MANDELA AS A MAN WHO TOOK HISTORY IN HIS HANDS AND BENT THE ARC OF THE MORAL UNIVERSE TOWARD JUSTICE

December 05, 2013 5:29:33 PM - OBAMA SAYS MANDELA'S DEEPEST LEGACY IS A FREE SOUTH AFRICA AT PEACE WITH THE WORLD

December 05, 2013 5:28:51 PM - OBAMA SAYS HE CANNOT FULLY IMAGINE HIS OWN LIFE WITHOUT THE EXAMPLE MANDELA SET

December 05, 2013 5:28:21 PM - OBAMA SAYS OF MANDELA, "TODAY HE'S GONE HOME"

December 05, 2013 5:27:45 PM - OBAMA SAYS WITH DEATH OF NELSON MANDELA, WORLD HAS LOST ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL, COURAGEOUS AND PROFOUNDLY GOOD HUMAN BEINGS

05-Dec-2013 16:54 - MAY MANDELA'S SOUL REST IN PEACE, GOD BLESS AFRICA - SOUTH AFRICA'S ZUMA

05-Dec-2013 16:52 - MANDELA TO BE ACCORDED STATE FUNERAL, NATIONAL FLAGS TO BE LOWERED TO HALF MAST - ZUMA

05-Dec-2013 16:48 - ZUMA SAYS MANDELA PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY ON THURSDAY AT HIS JOHANNESBURG HOME

05-Dec-2013 16:45 - SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT ZUMA SAYS MANDELA HAS DIED

Former South African President Nelson Mandela died peacefully at his Johannesburg home on Thursday after a prolonged lung infection, President Jacob Zuma said.

In a nationally televised address, Zuma said South Africa's first black president would be accorded a full state funeral. He ordered flags to be flown at half mast.