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.

Mandela speaks out as son dies of AIDS

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.

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