Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who joined other world
dignitaries in paying their last respects to former South African
President Nelson Mandela in Pretoria on Thursday, was there as a
personal representative of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.In a statement released in Kuala Lumpur today, the Foreign Ministry said Mahathir also led his delegation to convey their condolences as well as Najib's personal message to the family of the late anti-apartheid icon.
Mandela, 95, died at his home in Johannesburg on Dec 5, after battling a prolonged lung infection.
"The late Nelson Mandela and Dr Mahathir enjoyed a very close relationship, dating back to the challenging times when South Africa was under the apartheid regime," the statement said.
It noted that Malaysia played a supporting role in South Africa's preparations for its democratic election in 1994, which saw the country voting Mandela in as its first black president.
Mahathir was accompanied on the trip to South Africa by his wife Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Malaysian High Commissioner Kennedy Jawan, business figure Lim Kok Wing as well as senior officers from the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Ministry.
- Bernama
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