New Delhi, Dec 6 (IANS): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday paid tributes to former South African president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela who died Thursday night at the age of 95.
"A giant among men has passed away. This is as much India's loss as South Africa's. He was a true Gandhian," the prime minister wrote in a tweet.
"His life and work will remain a source of eternal inspiration for generations to come. I join all those who are praying for his soul," he said.
In a statement on South African national TV, Zuma had announced that Mandela had "departed" and was at peace. "Our nation has lost its greatest son."
Mandela had been receiving intense home-based medical care for a lung infection after three months in hospital. He led South Africa's transition from white-minority rule in the 1990s, after having spent 27 years in prison, BBC reported.