South Africa mourns Mandela’s loss
9 Dec 2013 4:02 AM IST
Mandela’s memorial service on Tuesday at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg is expected to be one of the largest such gatherings in generations. South African President Jacob Zuma announced the mourning period after Mandela died on Friday at the age of 95 following a protracted illness.
Mandela’s body will lie in state at the seat of government, the Union Buildings in Pretoria, for three days before the state funeral in his childhood home of Qunu on 15 December.
On these three days, the body will be taken in a cortege through the streets of Pretoria from a mortuary to the place where it will lie in state. Sunday, 8 December, has been declared as a national day of prayer and reflection. Memorial events for the statesman who dismantled the apartheid regime and served as South Africa’s first black President will be held across the country during 11-13 December.
‘We should all work together to organise the most befitting funeral for this outstanding son of our country and the father of our young nation,’ said a statement from the presidency.
‘We call upon all our people to gather in halls, churches, mosques, temples, synagogues and in their homes for prayer services and meditation, reflecting on the life of Madiba (Mandela’s clan name) and his contribution to our country and the world.’
Obama, Bush, Clinton to attend memorial services
WASHINGTON: At least three American presidents will travel to South Africa to attend memorial services for anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday at age 95.
The White House said Friday that President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama would travel to South Africa next week to pay their respects. They will be joined on Air Force One by former President George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush, who ‘gratefully accepted’ the invitation from the Obamas, a Bush spokesman said.
The White House said travel arrangements were still being made and it was unclear when the Obamas and Bushes would depart. A memorial service for Mandela will be held on Tuesday at a stadium in Johannesburg, followed by a smaller funeral on 15 December in Mandela’s hometown.
Former President Bill Clinton said he also planned to travel to South Africa, along with his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It was unclear whether the Clintons would also fly on Air Force One.
‘My whole family will be there,’ Clinton said in an interview with CNN. ‘And we’re looking forward to having the chance to say good-bye one last time.’
Mandela’s death has sparked an outpouring of memorials and celebrations of the former prisoner-turned-president who led his country out of apartheid rule.
Mandela, our fight similar: Palestine
Ramallah: Palestinian leaders have drawn on the legacy of Nelson Mandela, a high-profile supporter of their cause, likening his fight against apartheid to their own struggle to end Israeli occupation. Tributes to the late South African leader, whose death was announced on Thursday, flooded in from Palestinian leaders. Their tone was far more politicised than the eulogies of their Israeli counterparts, and came as US Secretary of State John Kerry wound up another mission aimed at boosting fragile peace talks. ‘You said: ‘We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians’,’ invoked jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghuti.
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