President Jacob Zuma made the announcement from the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Thursday night. He said Mandela passed away at 20:50 in his Houghton home surrounded by his wife,\u00a0Gra\u00c3\u00a7a\u00a0Machel and members of his family.<\/p>\n
Zuma\u00a0said Mandela would have a state funeral and that the flags would fly half-mast from December 6 until after the funeral.<\/p>\n
Long illness
\nMandela was hospitalised on June 8 with a recurring lung infection. Initial reports from the Presidency suggestedMandela\u00a0was stable, although his condition was serious. But on June 23, the Presidency announced that\u00a0Mandela’scondition had deteriorated and he was critical.<\/p>\n
Court affidavits soon confirmed that the former statesman was on an assisted-breathing, life support machine. More reports emerged about Nelson Mandela in the days that followed, that he was in a “permanent vegetative state<\/a>“, although the presidency denied these, maintaining that he was “critical yet stable”.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n