Nelson Mandela, a South African anti-apartheid figure and revolutionary died in his home today at the age of 95. In a televised address, President Jacob Zuma said, “Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost their father.”  In a time of growing discontent with the country’s leaders, the loss of Mandela will be a great blow.

Mandela spent much of his life combating the racism that was so integrated into the South African society. He spent nearly the decades in prison after being convicted of treason by the white minority government. After being released in 1990 due to the lobbying of an international campaign, he went on to becoming the President of the African National Congress (ANC) and in 1994, the first black president of South Africa.

Mandela deviated from people’s expectations in many ways. Most people believed that he would crumble during his presidency but in reality, he changed the country for the better by bringing an end to the apartheid and by helping to greatly diminish the racism that was prevalent in the country. Not only that, he chose to serve only one term as president.

Mandela had been fighting illness for a long time; his last public appearance was during the 2010 World Cup which was hosted in South Africa. This absence from the spotlight upset quite a few people. South Africans believed that as long as he was around, other political leaders would live up to their expectations.

Mandela went from political and military activist, to prisoner, to president, to icon in the entire span of his life. He may have only been president for one term but all he accomplished truly changed the lives of everyone in South Africa. The world will mourn and remember the life and accolades of a truly remarkable man.