The ?Lion of South Africa?, Nelson Mandela died at 8:50 p.m. on December 6, 2013.
President Jacob Zuma made the announcement just before midnight. Mandela had been getting intensive medical treatment at home for lung infection.
The news was made through South African national TV as Zuma sadly stated, ?Our nation has lost its greatest son?.
Cities around the world paid tribute to the anti-apartheid leader and social media also went abuzz with Mandela?s stories and acts of heroism. He was 95 years old when he passed away.
The hashtag
#RememberingMandela was created to show reverence and allow fans to pay their last respects to the great South African leader. The hashtag
#RIPMandela has also been trending well as people continue to talk about Madiba, Mandela?s tribe name.
Announcements regarding his funeral were also shared through the social media hashtags. Mandela will have a full state funeral with national flags flown at half-mast. Photos of crowds gathering all around the world to weep and mourn were also shared online. There were South African flags flown in different places as well as shirts referring to the African National Congress.
This tweet by NBC, for instance, garnered over 400 retweets and 180 favorites.
Nelson Mandela is well-known for leading the battle against apartheid and fought for peace, being the first black president of South Africa. He was surrounded by family and friends when he died on his bed at home in Johannesburg. Thousands of South Africans gathered after the news and chanted his name.
Many social media fans on Twitter also used the hashtag #RememberingMandela to share his great feats and how much they appreciate his efforts towards South African peace.
To quantify its magnitude, the hashtag #RememberingMandela has to-date generated over 46,000 tweets (peaking at 8,200 December 5, 5PM CST), while #RIPMandela so far reached 190,000 tweets (peaking at 57,400 December 5, 4PM CST).
Top related hashtags include
#RIPNelsonMandela and
#Mandela.
Courtesy of Hashtags.org Analytics
Courtesy of Hashtags.org Analytics
Courtesy of Hashtags.org Analytics
Courtesy of Hashtags.org Analytics
Courtesy of Hashtags.org Analytics
Courtesy of Hashtags.org Analytics
