South Africa welcomes unveiling of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela's 1st statue

South Africa has hailed the presentation of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela's first statue in Sofia, Bulgaria, on the 30th anniversary of the two nations' diplomatic ties.

"The South African Embassy initiated this project with the goal of preserving Nelson Mandela's legacy and celebrating his life dedicated to a cause, which made him a celebrated global statesman in the struggle for peace and equality," according to a statement released in conjunction with the statue's unveiling on Thursday.

The leader, who spent 27 years as a political prisoner of the white minority apartheid government before becoming president of South Africa, received national orders from Bulgaria twice.

He was presented with the Georgi Dimitrov Order in 1986, which was the highest order under the previous dispensation in Bulgaria, in absentia while he was still in prison; and the Stara Planina Order, which is the highest order under the present democratic dispensation in Bulgaria, in 2008.

The statue was created by South African sculptor, Zelda Stroud. Besides statues in every major South African city, there are many statues of Mandela across the world, including at the UN.