This image dated Sept. 13, 2011 taken by photographer Adrian Steirn, shows former president Nelson Mandela's face reflected in a mirror. The portrait was bought by a private art collector in New York, for $200,000, the highest price ever paid for a local portrait, organizers said on Dec 3, 2013. – AP Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father. — South African President Jacob Zuma He taught us forgiveness on a grand scale. His was a spirit born free, destined to soar above the rainbows. — Boxing great Muhammad Ali So what, exactly, is it that makes Nelson Mandela so special? Apart from the fact that he emerged from 27 years in apartheid prisons bearing so little malice. And that he insisted on “reconciliation” being central to a truth commission in order to heal wounds caused by years of bitter racial hatred. And that he donned a Springbok jersey and took to the field during the 1995 rugby World Cup final in a bold bid to unite the nation behind the mainly-white South African team. And that he stepped down after just one term as president, unlike too many world leaders who, once given a whiff of power, cling to it until it destroys them or they destroy the nation they are leading. These are some of the anti-apartheid icon's better known qualities. But there was more, much more. This was no ordinary politician. South Africans called it the “Madiba magic” after his clan name – Nelson Mandela's quirky mix of grandeur and simplicity, his ready quips, his ability to relate to the poor, his colorful custom-made shirts and his dancing prowess. Mandela – who succumbed to a recurrent lung infection on Thursday aged 95 – drew politicians from around the world, as well as ordinary children and adults keen to get a glimpse of the freedom icon who spent almost three decades in prison. Many remember his solemn inauguration as South Africa's first black president on May 20, 1994 at the age of 75, when he shuffled a few steps in perfect time despite the wear and tear on his body, fists clenched, with a beaming smile. The now famous “Madiba jive” was born. Entertainers parodied it, radio stations took up the beat, and every time Mandela made a public appearance someone would ask him to jive despite his increasing frailty over the years. Indissolubly associated with the Madiba magic were his loose shirts – riots of color which stood out among the sober suits and ties of his associates. The photographers loved them, even though they were forbidden to use flash when taking pictures of Mandela because his eyes had been weakened when working in the glare of a limestone quarry on Robben Island, off Cape Town, where he was imprisoned for 18 years. The children of South Africa adored Madiba, who had a special empathy with youngsters as he missed seeing his own grow up while in apartheid prisons. Mandela's empathy for individuals often came at the most unlikely moments. He once interrupted a meeting to ask after the health of a heavily pregnant journalist, tapping her swollen belly gently with his big boxer's hands and asking her when the baby was due. He was also adept at poking fun at himself, saying in 2000: “My bosses always say that I have had 27 years in prison to loaf. It is now time to do some catching up”. In 1998, he declared: “My greatest regret in life is that I never became the heavyweight boxing champion of the world”. – Agencies
His grace and courage changed the world. — Microsoft founder Bill Gates Nelson Mandela was a giant for justice and a down-to-earth human inspiration. — UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
