Caribbean Community Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, in mourning the passing of former South African President, Nelson Mandela, eulogized him as incomparable, a revered symbol of justice and humanity and a source of inspiration for all.

“The People of the Caribbean Community whose countries were in the forefront of the diplomatic fight against apartheid following their own independence share the deep grief of South Africans, of his wife and family, as they mourn the death of Madiba. A guiding light has been extinguished; a moral colossus no longer bestrides our world; but his legacy will live forever,” the Secretary-General said in a message of condolence following the global icon’s death on 5 December, 2013.

The full text of the message reads:

`The Caribbean Community extends its deepest condolences to the Government and People of South Africa on the passing of an incomparable human being, Nelson Mandela.

A freedom fighter who personified the struggle of his people for liberty, a political prisoner who spent twenty-seven years in confinement, he would lead South Africa from the divisiveness and authoritarianism of the vicious, dehumanising apartheid system through a peaceful transition based on reconciliation to an inclusive and democratic society. He thereby had the satisfaction of bringing to fruition his cherished ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live in harmony of which he spoke at his trial in 1964.

Nelson Mandela was not only of South Africa, but also of the wider world. He made a difference to the lives of countless people, not only South Africans, by his example. His moral authority, humility, selflessness, strength of spirit and deep sense of purpose made him a global icon, a revered symbol of justice and humanity, a source of inspiration for all of us.

The People of the Caribbean Community whose countries were in the forefront of the diplomatic fight against apartheid following their own independence share the deep grief of South Africans, of his wife and family, as they mourn the death of Madiba. A guiding light has been extinguished; a moral colossus no longer bestrides our world; but his legacy will live forever.’