South Africa is readying itself for the arrival of a flood of world leaders for the funeral of Nelson Mandela. Thousands of mourners continued to flock to sites around the country Saturday to pay homage to icon of the struggle for freedom.
The gathering of world leaders wil be the largest in South Africa since Mandela was inaugurated as its first black president in 1994.
South African President Jacob Zuma on Friday announced a 10-day period of mourning following the death of Nelson Mandela.
Dec 6: Mandela passed away at 8:50 pm on Thursday (local time), surrounded by his family. During his final hours, Mandela would have also been surrounded by Thembu elders.
Dec 8: Declared as a national day of prayer and reflection. “We call upon all our people to gather in halls, churches, mosques, temples, synagogues and in their homes to pray and meditate, reflecting on the life of Madiba and his contribution to our country and the world,” President Zuma said.
Dec 9: Both houses of parliament will be recalled from recess for a special joint sitting in honour of Mandela’s legacy.
Dec 10: A memorial service will be held at a 90,000-plus capacity stadium in at Johannesburg’s Soccer City, which hosted the 2010 World Cup final, where Mandela made his last major public appearance.
Dec 11-13: Mandela’s remains will lie in state at the seat of government, the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where he served as the first president of this young democracy
Dec 15: The official state funeral, after which he will be flown to Qunu, in the Eastern Cape, for a private burial. Qunu is the hilly rural area where Mandela was born and grew up. Mandela will be buried next to the remains of his family, including his three deceased children.
