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SA struggle veteran to address UN

17 July 2013

Apartheid struggle veteran Andrew Mlangeni, who was sentenced to life imprisonment along with Nelson Mandela and six others on 12 June 1964, will address a special United Nations session to mark Nelson Mandela International Day on Thursday.

Mlangeni will speak alongside UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN General Assembly president Vuk Jeremic, former US president Bill Clinton and legendary musician Henry Belafonte at a special UN General Assembly session in New York.

"Mandela is the only global citizen that has had the honour of his birthday being marked by the UN General Assembly," Department of International Relations and Cooperation spokesperson Clayson Monyela said at the official Mandela Day launch last month.

On Tuesday, Monyela noted that this year's Mandela Day celebration was of particular significance in the context of the count-down to South Africa's 20th Anniversary of liberation in 2014.

He added: "The best way to celebrate Madiba's life is to observe the ideals his life encapsulates: freedom, democracy and dignity for all. Madiba's leadership transcended all human boundaries, whether based on race, clan, ethnicity or religion."

Source: SAnews.gov.za