Nelson Mandela will embark on the final leg of his 95-year journey when his remains are returned today, Saturday 14, 2013 to his rural childhood home for a traditional burial.
Since his passing at his Houghton home on December 5, 2013, South Africans have come out in their many thousands to say their goodbyes and pay tribute at his home and two previous homes in Soweto and Alexandra, as well as many other sites, such as the Nelson Mandela Bridge, Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia and The Mandela Capture site in the Midlands to name just a few.
Thousands packed into a soaked stadium in Soweto for the memorial service on Tuesday, including 91 heads of State, as one quote said “When Mandela can no longer go to the world, the world comes to Mandela”.
More than100 000 people viewed Mandela’s open casket at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where he was inaugurated two decades earlier; during the three days it was on display. Hundreds of people pushed through a police cordon on Friday in a last attempt to see his body before his coffin was closed. Still tens of thousands of mourners were not able pay their final respects to the man who inspired the world.
Mandela’s body has been taken to the Waterkloof Air Force Base this morning for the two-hour flight to Eastern Cape province, where he grew up, for burial on Sunday.
“Saturday 14 December, 2013 marks the beginning of Tata Madiba’s final long walk back to Qunu, his resting place,” said family spokesperson Temba Matanzima.
On Sunday, at least 5 000 people, including foreign dignitaries, are expected to participate in a formal, two-hour ceremony beginning at 8am.
The funeral procession from the airport to Qunu will be led by the armed forces and Mandela will receive a 21-gun salute and a flyover by the South African Air Force. The burial itself will be a strictly private affair, barred to both the public and the media.
