Mandela lies in state at Union Buildings
13 Dec 2013 4:40 AM IST
Foreign dignitaries and celebrities joined thousands of South Africans at the imposing Union Buildings, perched on a hill overlooking Pretoria, for a last chance to see the body of the man regarded as the father of democratic South Africa. Some carried infants on their backs. Mandela’s flag-draped casket was met by officers representing branches of the military on arrival from the capital’s main military hospital, in a formal ceremony that contrasted with Tuesday’s memorial.
Thousands of mourners lined the streets as the black hearse, led by a procession of police motorcycles, wound its way to the official seat of government. Mandela’s death on Thursday at the age of 95 has brought an outpouring of grief and mourning in the country he led as president from 1994 to 1999, as well as celebration and thanksgiving for his life and achievements. ‘This is a significant moment for me and my children,’ said teacher Thapelo Dlamini, 48, who had been waiting on the street for two hours with his two children.
Traffic in Pretoria was gridlocked from early morning and shops along the procession route were closed.
The Nobel Peace laureate will be buried on Sunday in Qunu, his ancestral home in the rural Eastern Cape province, 700 km (450 miles) south of Johannesburg.
LAST CHANCE
Among those filing past Mandela’s casket were singer Bono, model Naomi Campbell and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. F.W. de Klerk, South Africa’s last white president who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Mandela, appeared to wipe away a tear as he passed the coffin.
‘I want to see him. Even if I have to stand here for three hours, I want to see him. It’s my last chance,’ said Habib Urehem, 66, a teacher of Islam.
Thousands of mourners lined the streets as the black hearse, led by a procession of police motorcycles, wound its way to the official seat of government. Mandela’s death on Thursday at the age of 95 has brought an outpouring of grief and mourning in the country he led as president from 1994 to 1999, as well as celebration and thanksgiving for his life and achievements. ‘This is a significant moment for me and my children,’ said teacher Thapelo Dlamini, 48, who had been waiting on the street for two hours with his two children.
Traffic in Pretoria was gridlocked from early morning and shops along the procession route were closed.
The Nobel Peace laureate will be buried on Sunday in Qunu, his ancestral home in the rural Eastern Cape province, 700 km (450 miles) south of Johannesburg.
LAST CHANCE
Among those filing past Mandela’s casket were singer Bono, model Naomi Campbell and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. F.W. de Klerk, South Africa’s last white president who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Mandela, appeared to wipe away a tear as he passed the coffin.
‘I want to see him. Even if I have to stand here for three hours, I want to see him. It’s my last chance,’ said Habib Urehem, 66, a teacher of Islam.
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