Anti-Apartheid Activist and Mandela Ally Nicholas Haysom Dies at 73

 Nicholas Haysom, a South African anti-apartheid activist and former adviser to President Nelson Mandela, has passed away at the age of 73. The South African government announced the news.

His daughter, Rebecca Haysom, told the Associated Press that he died on March 17 in New York "after a long and courageous battle" with complications from an illness affecting his heart and lungs.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed condolences to Haysom's family and colleagues, acknowledging his contributions to the development of democracy, the protection of human rights, and international peacekeeping.

"Today we mourn an outstanding diplomat and pioneer of our democratic system of governance, whose commitment to justice and peace made our country, our continent, and the world a better place," the president stated.

Haysom served as chief legal and constitutional adviser to President Mandela from 1994 to 1999. He chaired the committee that coordinated constitutional principles during the peace process in Burundi, acted as a mediator and adviser in the Sudanese peace process, and served as the UN Secretary-General's special representative in Afghanistan, Somalia, and South Sudan. He also led the UN mission in Iraq.

The African National Congress (ANC), led by Nelson Mandela, had invited Haysom to join its Constitutional Commission, where for several years he participated in developing the concept for a new South Africa and negotiated with the National Party.

Earlier in March, former South African Defense Minister and leader of the Congress of the People (COPE) party, Mosiuoa Lekota, died at the age of 77.