Through a lifetime of devotion to the fight to end apartheid dictatorship and bring democracy and justice to the people of South Africa, Nelson Mandela was an inspiration for untold numbers of people across the world, and his incomparable legacy will continue to inspire generations to come. His determination to build a South Africa free of discrimination and exploitation made the most profound impact, at home and abroad, as he guided his country from the oppression of the apartheid years into the dawn of a new era.
Nelson Mandela stands as a colossus of human history. The ITUC sends its deepest sympathy to his family, friends and all those with whom he shared the burdens and triumphs of political struggle.