Nelson Mandela's flag-draped casket
has started its final journey today as a South African military guard of
honour escorted his hearse to the state funeral in the remote village
where the anti-apartheid icon grew up.
Around
5,000 guests, including the Prince of Wales, Oprah Winfrey, Richard
Branson and the American civil rights activist Jesse James, at the
service in his hometown of Qunu in Eastern Cape province this morning,
before a private, smaller burial.
After
10 days of mourning ceremonies, including the massive stadium memorial
in Johannesburg and three days of his body laying in state in Pretoria,
representatives from the army, navy and air force marched up the dirt
road to the Mandela family compound.
Anti-apartheid leader and South Africa's first black President died in his Johannesburg home on December 5, at the age of 95.
The
current president of his country, Jacob Zuma told mourners Madiba, as
he was adoringly called, was 'a fountain of wisdom, a pillar of strength
and a beacon of hope for all those fighting for a just and equitable
world order.’
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Final
journey: The coffin carrying former South African President Nelson
Mandela is escorted into his state funeral service in Qunu this morning
Tradition:
Mandela's casket, covered in the nation's flag, was placed on a cattle
skin as the service combined elements of traditional and state funerals
Display:
The coffin of former South African President Nelson Mandela is seen
draped in a South African national flag during his funeral in his
ancestral village of Qunu
Respect: Candles are lit under a portrait of Nelson Mandela before his funeral. One for every year of his life
Honor: A gun salute is fired as the funeral procession nears the Mandela family compound
Dignitaries: Prince Charles, right, arrives for the state funeral on Sunday
Historic figure: Thousands of people are paying tribute to South Africa 's first black president
The
funeral includes traditions of Mandela's Thembu clan, as well as a
21-gun salute, brass band and fly over by jets. Elders in traditional
funeral attire out of respect for Mandela and his family sang old
struggle songs as they lined the road to greet the funeral cortege.
An
ox was to be slaughtered, the deceased was wrapped in a leopard skin
and a family elder continued to talk to the body's spirit throughout the
service. The occasion also included elements more often seen in a
Christian burial and at a state funeral, including prayers and the
national anthem.
The leopard
skin signifies Mandela's status as a high-ranking official. Because he
was also a former statesman, the casket was covered in the flag.
Following
a tradition called Thetha, Xhosa culture requires a family elder to
stay with Mandela's body and explain to his spirit what is happening.
'When
the body lies there, the spirit is still alive,' the Rev Wesley Mabuza,
chairman of South Africa's Commission for the Promotion and Protection
of the right of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, said.
Mandela's widow Graca Machel arrived ahead of the casket to honor the tradition of being home to receive his body.
As
the coffin arrived in the white tent for the state funeral, all guests
except the family stood, and the choir sung Lizalis' idinga Iakho.
It
was placed in the centre of the domed tent, on top of a cattle skin.
His widow, Machel, and first wife, Winnie Mandela, then walked into the
tent hand in hand. His children from both marriages were sat in the
front row, with president Jacob Zuma between them.
Family said they had been reuniting by Machel and Winnie's show of friendship.
A
central feature in the tent was a large picture of Mandela, placed
behind 95 lit candles, one for each year of his long and full life.
But
he left us to 'join the A-team of the ANC,' Kathrada said, as he named
those who alongside Mandela had struggled for freedom.
He
added: 'It is up to the present generation and generations to come to
take up the cudgels when you have left, and take up the challenges South
Africa faces today.'
Over
the past week it has sometimes seemed that everyone was trying to claim
a piece of the great man – and that dignity was sometimes lacking – but
he was at last back among his own people. In the little time left
before he is committed to the ground today, the elders of his tribe have
promised to do things differently.
Embrace:
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who initially claimed he had not been invited
to the funeral, hugs former president Thabo Mbeki
Tribute: A military officer places the framed flag of South Africa on top of Mandela's coffin
Sombre: South Africa's current president Jacob Zuma sitting between Winnie Mandela and Graca Machel
Prayer: A traditional Shembe priest offers prayers as he looks towards the dome where Mandela's funeral was held
State funeral: Mandela's coffin is carried into the white tent for the service
Support: African National Congress supporters chant before the start of the funeral
Dignitaries: Anti-apartheid activist and friend Ahmed Kathrada, right, with former South Africa president Thabo Mbeki
As
the state funeral got underway, the national anthem, God Bless Africa,
was performed. The anthem is sung in five languages - three African as
well as Afrikaans and English.
Deputy
leader of the ANC Cyril Ramaphosa spoke at the funeral, explaining that
in accordance with cultural traditions, they planned to lay Mandela to
rest at noon 'When the sun is at hits highest and shadows are at its
shortest'.
He
told the mourners he agreed with president Jacob Zuma, who called
Mandela South Africa's greatest son: 'Indeed today, the person who lies
here today is South Africa's greatest son.'
Ramaphosa
also welcomed royalty and presidents from Africa and around the world,
including Prince Charles, and the Prince of Monaco.
When
Chief Ngangamhlaba Matanzima, a cousin and spokesman for the Mandela
family addressed the service he criticised those who had booed President
Zuma during the memorial at the stadium. He added that the fake sign
language interpreter had been an embarrassment to the nation.
Wearing a leopard skin to show his status as a chief, Matanzima asked the medical team who cared for Mandela to stand while they were applauded.
The
next speaker was Ahmed Kathrada, a friend and anti-apartheid activist
who was imprisoned alongside Mandela on Robben Island for more than 20
years.
He spoke fondly of
his last meeting with Mandela, and how it brought back memories of when
they first met 67 years ago, when he was a 'tall, healthy, strong man.
The boxer, the prisoner who easily wielded the pick and shovel ... and
vigorously exercised every morning.'
United
in grief: Mandela's widow Graca Machel, above, and his former wife
Winnie, below, arrived holding hands and sat together for the service
Mourners:
US talk show host Oprah Winfrey, centre, her husband Stedman Graham,
left, and English businessman Richard Branson, right, watching the
funeral service
Traditional: Mandla Mandela right, grandson of former South African president Nelson Mandela, during his grandfather's funeral
His
final journey to his farm in the sleepy village of Qunu, his ancestral
home in the Transkei region of the Eastern Cape, lasted all day.
'As
everyone here would see it, the world's most famous prisoner, this
country's first black president, is now home,' BBC correspondent Mike
Woolridge tweeted.
Final goodbye: The flag-draped casket of South Africa's first black president arrives in Mandela's village
Coming home: A parade of servicemen lead the casket to the funeral
Home
at last: Military officers and Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla
Mandela, rear, accompany the casket of the former South African
President as it arrives in Qunu
Journey's
end: The hearse carrying the coffin of former South African president
Nelson Mandela passes by the tent dome set up in Qunu for his funeral
Tradition:
Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela, right, watches as local chiefs
escort the lion skin draped casket of former South African President as
it arrives at the Mandela residence in Qunu
Winnie
Mandela (left), ex-wife of former South African President, and Graca
Macel, widow of Mandela, wipe away tears as his flag-draped coffin
arrives at the Mthata airport
In
an operation led by the military, the journey began at dawn at
Pretoria’s air force base Waterkloof, where 1,000 members of the ANC
gave him an exuberant send-off, with singing and dancing beneath a
hangar decked out in the party colours of green, black and gold.
Accompanied
by family members, tribal elders and senior government figures, the
coffin was then flown 550 miles to Mthatha airport, about 20 miles from
Qunu.
Mandela’s widow, Graca
Machel, and his ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela travelled separately
from the coffin, in accordance with tribal tradition, and were seen
comforting each other as it arrived.
A
military guard of honour stands to attention at the Mandela family's
homestead in Qunu. Mandela, the revered icon of the anti-apartheid
struggle in South Africa and one of the towering political figures of
the 20th century, died in Johannesburg on December 5 at age 95
From
the airport, a hearse carried Mandela through the town, where crowds
lined the route ten deep, then along Nelson Mandela Road and into the
open countryside of green hills and red-flowering Cape Aloe.
There
were helicopters, armoured personnel vehicles, expensive cars – which
all seemed to have blue lights, whether they contained police officers
or not – and an endless stream of motorcycle outriders, some in white
uniforms.
Just before 4pm
the hearse swept down a gentle slope overlooking a restful scene: the
hills and valleys where Mandela roamed as a boy, gathering wild honey,
stick-fighting with friends and herding cattle.
Women
hold ANC flags and banners as the long convoy bringing Mandela's body
home finally arrives in Qunu. As police and military helicopters buzzed
overheard, mourners broke into the South African national anthem as the
cortège appeared
A
last look at the father of the nation: Locals take photos as Mandela's
hearse nears Qunu, a small hamlet in South Africa's Eastern Cape
province where he grew up
‘Madiba is coming home,’ is how 13-year-old Siyathemba Nkunzi, watching with his mother, put it.
The
crowd linked hands at the sides of the freshly tarmacked road and
mouthed goodbyes as the hearse passed by. Some whistled with excitement.
But no one cheered, no one screamed.
Farther
up the highway a group of children busied themselves slaughtering a
sheep. Qunu was celebrating the return of its revered son.
The
military here relinquished control of proceedings and the elders took
over. Inside Mandela’s peach-coloured farmhouse, a centuries-old
ceremony was performed. The most senior elder ‘spoke to the body’ and,
to ensure the spirit of the anti-apartheid hero would enter the next
world untroubled, apologised for any past disagreements.
Hero:
A woman raises her fist in salute as she watches the hearse carrying
her country's first black president drive by on the way to his final
resting place
Locals
cheers as Mandela arrives: Iit was escorted by an enormous convoy of
police, military and other vehicles, many flashing emergency lights,
arriving at about 4pm local time after going past cheering crowds who
had lined the route to pay their respects
Incense
was burned and the body was covered in the skin of a cow slaughtered
that day. ‘A normal person from his tribe would be covered in a black
and white blanket, but the cow skin is reserved for a man of great
stature,’ said a villager.
A
small branch from an olive tree was kept near the body. It was brought
by air from Qunu soon after Mandela died on December 5 at his home in
the wealthy Johannesburg suburb of Houghton. It was used by an elder to
address his spirit and persuade him to return to Qunu.
Mandela’s
house in the village is modest and contains souvenirs of his life since
he was freed. Dominating one wall is an outsized portrait of himself
and Graca.
Loved
by the people: The motorcade transporting Mandela's body passes through
crowds of mourners gathered in the town of Mthatha on its way to Qunu
On
a bookshelf sits Thomas Macaulay’s History Of England, given to him by
Prince Charles, who will be among the 4,500 guests attending today’s
funeral, along with Bill and Hillary Clinton, civil rights leader the
Reverend Jesse Jackson and Oprah Winfrey.
While
Qunu thoroughly approves of the Prince of Wales, politicians – with the
exception of Mandela – are not particularly popular among the 500
inhabitants.
It is because
of the presence of so many government ministers, diplomats and overseas
leaders that many local people have been excluded from attending the
funeral.
‘In our culture it
is disrespectful for us not to go, but there is nothing we can do about
it, and that is very upsetting,’ said Simesihile Sohaye.
It
wasn’t just the locals who were left out. Unfathomably, retired
archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mandela’s long-time friend and a Nobel Peace
Prize laureate, has not been invited. Some political observers
speculated that his criticism of the governing ANC was at the root of
the snub.
'Long
live the spirit of Nelson Mandela': The crowds chanted old songs and
slogans from the anti-apartheid struggle as they watched the body of
Mandela roll past
Africa:
Young women dance by the roadside in the small village of Queque, near
Qunu, as they wait to watch the funeral procession to sweep by
‘Much
as I would have loved to attend the service to say a final farewell to
someone I loved and treasured, it would have been disrespectful to Tata
[Mandela] to gatecrash what was billed as a private funeral,’ said Tutu.
‘Had I or my office been informed I would be welcome there is no way on earth I would have missed it.’
Tutu,
82, said he had cancelled his plans to fly to the Eastern Cape after
receiving no indication that his name was on the guest list. In an
apparent U-turn last night, president Jacob Zuma’s office insisted Tutu
would be allowed to attend.
‘If
he had called, we would have given him accreditation. They would never
have turned Tutu away. There were no malicious shenanigans,’ said a
spokeswoman.
Prince
Charles’s place among the mourners, however, is assured. He will be
among a group of 430 to actually see Mandela buried in a hillside
opposite his home, near the graves of relatives.
Patriotism:
Mourners wave and cheer as the hearse transporting the flag-draped
casket containing Mandela's body as it passes through the town of
Mthatha
High
security: Soldiers in full combat gear, male and female, were stationed
on foot on either side of the road from the airport in Mthatha
Paying
respects: Thousands of mourners line the streets of Umthatha as the
enormous convoy of police, military and other vehicles sweeps through
their town
‘We
are very happy that your future king will be with us,’ said local
dignitary Nzg Yorkwana, who runs the Nelson Mandela Museum on the
outskirts of Qunu. ‘He is a very dignified man and I am looking forward
to meeting him.’
Mandela and
the people of this remote region are from the Thembu tribe of the Xhosa
ethnic group and have a royal family of their own, of which Mandela was
a member.
‘Prince Charles has a great sense of tradition,’ said Ms Yorkwana. ‘I’m sure he will be very interested in the service.’
And unlike certain world leaders, the Queen’s eldest son will, of course, resist the urge to whip out his mobile for a ‘selfie’.
Figurehead:
A South African mourner embraces a poster of Mandela, while waiting
with other mourners for the motorcade transporting the body of the
former president to pass by in the town of Mthatha. Right, Khanyile Diko
cheers while wearing a T-shirt depicting the liberation hero as a scarf
around his neck
Crowds
of mourners cheer as they await the motorcade: Mandela languished in
jail for 27 years for his opposition to the racist apartheid regime.
Freed in 1990, he emerged to forge a new democratic South Africa by
promoting forgiveness and reconciliation
‘That would be unthinkable,’ laughed Ms Yorkwana.
By
early evening, mourners were leaving Mandela’s house after a supper and
informal speeches of thanks to the doctors who took care of him.
Mandela’s
eldest grandson and heir, Mandla, helped staff move huge bouquets of
white lilies from the house to the adjoining marquee for the service.
As
well as Christian hymns, it will include Xhosa singing and dancing
accompanied by the explosive sound of the Igbo drum. Poems about
Mandela’s life and achievements will also be read.
‘It
will be a very special occasion,’ said 19-year-old Sibabale Ketwa. ‘He
was such an inspiration. I am working hard at school and I hope that
like him I can leave this area and go on to do great things. Well, maybe
not quite as great as him.’
A
celebration of life: Mourners sing, wave their national flag and hold
up posters of Mandela as they wait for his funeral cortège to appear
Full
military honours: Fighter jets escort the military plane carrying the
coffin of former South African President Nelson Mandela as it is flown
to Mandela's home in the village of Qunu, Eastern Cape
