“In Loving Memory”: Mzansi Celebrates Nelson Mandela 8 Years Since His Passing

• The Anniversary of Nelson Mandela's passing has made social media users a little nostalgic
• Peeps took to the Twitter streets to celebrate the icons life with an assortment of silly memes and inspirational words
• Briefly News compiled some of our favourite tweets which you really won't want to miss

As South Africans mark the 8th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's passing, social media users headed online to share some sweet and sometimes outright inappropriate memes and messages celebrating the struggle stalwarts life.

Under the hashtag #NellyM, Mzansi had the best time immortalizing the former President. Naturally, peeps were a little confused by the hashtag at first with one person hilariously commenting that he thought a new DJ had come on the scene.

Still, it was all love on the Twitter streets.

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Check out some of the social media comments below:

"Our nation has lost a father": Mandla Mandela pays tribute to late FW De Klerk

In related news, Briefly News previously reported that Nelson Mandela’s grandson Chief Mandla Mandela has social media peeps divided after sharing his tribute to South Africa's last apartheid president FW de Klerk. He's described the politician as a pillar of strength to his family adding that the "nation has lost a father".

In a statement released on Friday, Mandla went on to reiterate that while many may not have agreed with De Klerk's views, he had witnessed the great respect Nelson Mandela accorded him and has encouraged Mzansi to do the same, EWN reports.

He ended by reminding South Africans about the dreams of reconciliation his grandfather still had for this country.

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He said citizens should draw on Mandela and De Klerk’s example “and charter a way forward so that indeed we may realise the shared vision”, The Citizen reports.

“In his memory and the memory of all our departed heroes let us not abandon the path of nation-building, national recollection and social cohesion," he writes.

Local social media users, however, were super divided on the issue.

Check out some of the social media reactions to Mandela's statement below. Peeps were clearly not having it:

@CarterSydney1 said:

"So it's true that the Mandela family has sold us out."

@PanizaLuthuli said:

"I can't blame him, the guy is living the life, and you'll never know where the funding comes from."

@TshaksO said:

"Confused individual."

@MHzrover said:

"Has the time not arrived that we forgive (Like the Jews after WWII), forget, start building afresh? You just cannot build on a nation, harping on what happened! Will that really change attitude? No. We need to unite and work together - for our children!"

Source: Briefly News