Simon Barrow, co-director of the Christian political think-tank Ekklesia, sent a short message of condolence to the Mandela family this evening (5 December 2013).

It reads, in part: “I briefly encountered Madiba when he spoke at the World Council of Churches assembly in Harare in 1998. It was, for many of us, one of the most moving moments of our lives. He was and is an extraordinary man, infusing a relentless struggle for justice and freedom with a spirit of transformation, reconciliation and forgiveness.”

A message has also been left on the commemorative wall at the community house near his home.