Nelson Mandela joins Twitterati

Updated on: 20 April,2011 07:22 AM IST |
Agencies |

At the age of 93, South African icon sets up account on microblogging website

At the age of 93, South African icon sets up account on microblogging website

Free bird: Nelson Mandela outside Robben island where he spent 18
years in prison. File pic/getty images

"Millington did not hesitate when we contacted him last week requesting that we take over the page he had created," said Sello Hatang, spokesman for the Mandela Foundation. Since the Centre of Memory took over the account on Friday, it bears the Nelson Mandela Foundation logo and has won 727 followers who receive updates with key dates in the life of South Africa's first black president.

"18 April 1986, Nelson Mandela watches the film Missing in Pollsmoor Prison," read one tweet from Monday.
"On the 17th of April 1962 Nelson Mandela attends the National Assembly of Sierra Leone and meets various Members of Parliament," read Sunday's tweet.

Hatang said about 20 different social media networks had accounts created by people around the world using Nelson Mandela's name, including Facebook and Flicker. "We would like to encourage others who hold domains using Nelson Mandela's name to hand them over to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory," he said. It was unclear why Millington had registered the account, but he tweeted, "The Nelson Mandela Foundation just thanked me for handing over the @nelsonmandela twitter account. I forgot I had it."

727 Number of followers Nelson Mandela has on Twitter

Did you know?
Mandela was as a D-group prisoner, the lowest classification, where he was allowed one visitor and one letter

The oldest person on Twitter was 104-year-old Ivy Bean

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