On this day in 2013, South Africa's first democratically elected president Nelson Mandela passed away at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg.

Madiba, once the world's most famous political prisoner, was 95-years-old when he passed on after suffering from a prolonged respiratory infection. Born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 27 1918 in Mvezo village in the Eastern Cape, he emerged from a 27-year jail term in 1990 to lead South Africa from apartheid to democracy.

His charisma, generosity of spirit, and an unwavering commitment to the well-being of his fellow humans, earned him love and acclaim across the globe.

"Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father,"  Jacob Zuma, who was the president of SA then, said when announcing Mandela's death. "What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves."