Mandela speaks out as son dies of AIDS

NELSON MANDELA announced his eldest son had died of AIDS-related complications yesterday, saying that the only way to fight the disease's stigma was to speak openly about it.

Lawyer Makgatho Mandela, 54, was admitted to a private clinic in Johannesburg last month.

"Let us give publicity to HIV/AIDS and not hide it, because the only way of making it appear to be a normal illness just like TB, like cancer, is always to come out and say somebody has died of HIV," a frail Mr Mandela, surrounded by his family, said at a news conference. His position contrasts with that of other prominent South Africans, including President Thabo Mbeki, who has denied knowing anyone who has died of HIV/AIDS.