The world pays tribute to Mandela (slideshow)
As South Africans come to terms with the loss of former president Nelson Mandela, the rest of the world bids farewell to Madiba.
Pimples: Saving Madiba's rabbit (video)
Gwede, Mac and Blade try their best to stop the rabbit from whispering in Mandela's ear. But the elusive animal has some tricks up its sleeve.
Zapiro's best Madiba cartoons (slideshow)
From his toughest moments to his most triumphant, Madiba has been an inspiration. Here are some of our favourite Zapiro cartoons about him from 1994 to 2013.
Mandela: SA's greatest son laid to rest (slideshow)
The world watched as Nelson Mandela was finally laid to rest in his hometown of Qunu following a dignified and moving funeral ceremony on Sunday.
As rumours multiplied yesterday of the imminent release of Nelson Mandela, the ANC in Lusaka said any plan to fly their jailed leader to freedom in another country would be unacceptable.
And a representative of the State President's office in Pretoria said there was absolutely no truth in speculation that an unconditional release of Mandela was imminent. "Nothing has changed," he said. The Prisons Department maintained a tight-lipped silence.
However, press and television crews from all over the country set up camp outside the Volkshospitaal in Cape Town, hoping for an indication that the ANC leader was not returning to Pollsmoor Prison.
Mandela's wife and family have moved back into the Mount Nelson Hotel and are making lengthy, daily visits to him. After her visit yesterday, Mrs Mandela spoke briefly to the press. She is banned and cannot be quoted, but she had nothing to add to the speculation.
Mandela, 68, is recovering from a minor operation in the hospital. It has been clear for nearly a week that he had fully recovered and was medically fit to return to the prison cell he has occupied for 22 years.
The fact that he is still in hospital and his family has been travelling frequently between Cape Town and Johannesburg has given rise to rumours that he may not be returned to prison. Prison Services has said he is being kept in hospital for post-operative care.
However, the speculation was that the government would use his illness as grounds for release on compassionate grounds. This would enable them to release Mandela -- the most famous of South Africa's political prisoners -- without releasing his colleagues.
The possibility that he may be released and flown to Lusaka has been raised in the press in recent weeks. In recent years, the government has offered their hottest prisoner freedom in the Transkei and, when that was rejected, freedom on the condition that he renounced violence. Sources close to the family yesterday said no new offer had been made to Mandela.
Yesterday, an ANC spokesman in Lusaka told the Weekly Mail that only the unconditional release of Mandela would be acceptable to the ANC. He said the ANC had no firm evidence Mandela was to be released, but added that the outlawed movement was demanding the unconditional release not only of their leader, but of all political prisoners and detainees.
Winnie Mandela is in Cape Town in defiance of an order to return to Brandfort in the Orange Free State.