Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

top

Kenya

South Africa unites in prayer for Mandela

The mood has been by turns sombre and celebratory, with some leaving floral tributes and lit candles, while others danced and sang in honour of the man they affectionately knew as Madiba.

“To me it’s not a sad day. It’s a day of hope, for us to be able to determine the future,” said salesman Khabile Mgangame.

Mandela’s family compared the loss of their adored patriarch to the trauma of separation during his long incarceration in Robben Island.

“The pillar of the family is gone, just as he was away during that 27 painful years of imprisonment,” family spokesman Temba Matanzima told journalists in Johannesburg on Saturday.

“His presence was like a baobab tree that provided a comforting shade that served as protection and security for us,” he said – referring to the massive tree with its famously thick trunk.

On Tuesday around 80,000 people are expected to attend, with Obama, the official memorial service in the Soweto sports stadium that hosted the final of the 2010 World Cup.

Mandela’s body will then lie in state for three days from Wednesday, with his coffin taken in a cortege through the streets of Pretoria each morning to allow as many people as possible to say farewell.

France’s Francois Hollande will be among the other world leaders flying in over the next few days to pay their respects.

The organisational and security logistics are daunting, and the military has cancelled leave for troops and reservists to help with crowd control.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

One of the towering figures of the 20th century, Mandela’s reputation was truly global, and his obsequies look set to attract a unique gathering of the world’s political and cultural elite.

Tributes have poured in from every conceivable quarter, from the worlds of sports and entertainment, and from North America and Israel to North Korea and the Palestinian Territories.

About The Author

Pages: 1 2

Comments
Advertisement

More on Capital News