'Great' Mandela beat apartheid 'demon' following release from prison: Bill Clinton

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ANI Johannesburg
Last Updated : Jul 19 2013 | 1:56 PM IST

Ailing former South African president Nelson Mandela feared and hated his apartheid jailers when he left prison, but overcoming that 'demon' is a sign of his greatness, former US president Bill Clinton has said.

Clinton, UN leader Ban Ki-moon and Andrew Mlangeni, who was a prisoner with Mandela, honoured Madiba in a special ceremony at the UN headquarters, as he spent his 95th birthday in hospital.

According to news24, Clinton said Mandela returned a greater man than he went in after ended his 27 years in an apartheid jail.

He also said that the ordeal had left its mark on the legendary figure. Clinton at the UN General Assembly said that Mandela fought some old demon, which would rise up and said stupid things.

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First Published: Jul 19 2013 | 11:59 AM IST

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