Former South African president Nelson Mandela paid tribute late on Saturday to Diana, Princess of Wales, calling on people across the world to ”learn from her example and embrace her legacy”.
He praised the late princess for using her celebrity status to challenge the stigma associated with diseases such as Aids as he announced a joint venture between two charities.
The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund — set up after Diana’s death in a Paris car crash in 1997 — will work together to help South African children orphaned as a result of the country’s Aids crisis.
”She highlighted neglected causes”, Mandela told a London press conference.
”She reached out to people on the margins of society. She made even the most humble people feel special… As we gather here today, I urge everyone present and the world
at large to learn from her example and embrace her legacy.
”Her inspiration must continue to change lives now and in the future,” he said.
An estimated 4,7 million South Africans — 10% of this country’s population — are infected with the HIV virus.
”Princess Diana took positive advantage of her celebrity
status… to challenge and fight stigma attached to poverty and people living with terminal diseases especially those with HIV/Aids,” Mandela said.
More than 660 000 South African youngsters have been orphaned because of the disease and around a quarter of a million children suffer from HIV and Aids.
Mandela, who met Diana in South Africa in 1997, visited her
grave Saturday at the Althorp estate in Northamptonshire, central England.
He also attended a dinner Saturday night with Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, and other guests in London. The charity event was hosted by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. – Sapa-AFP