(VOVworld) - South Africans are marking the one year anniversary of the death of Nelson Mandela. The former statesman died on Dec. 5 last year after a long illness at the age of 95. People spent 3 minutes in silence commemorating their national hero on Friday morning. Commemoration ceremonies are being held around the country, including at Mandela’s ancestral home in Qunu, in the country’s Eastern Cape Province. On Thursday, people gathered at Nelson Mandela Fund’s headquarters in Johannesburg to join the commemoration activities there.