Mandela’s
body will be flown Saturday from an air force base in Pretoria to South
Africa’s Eastern Cape province, where Mandela’s ancestral village of Qunu lies.
The family farm there will be his final resting place.
Members
of South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress, will bid Mandela
farewell from the air force base. An honor guard from the South African
National Defence Force will then take charge of his casket, which will be
draped in the national flag.
On
arrival at Mthatha Airport, the closest to Qunu, the casket will be placed on a
gun carriage, while the national anthem is played and the honor guard presents
arms and salutes. Mandela’s family will follow the carriage in cars.
Traditional ceremony and vigil
Once at
Mandela’s house in Qunu, the military will formally pass responsibility for his
remains to his family.
The
South African flag draped over the coffin will be replaced with a traditional
blanket of the Xhosa people, symbolizing the return of one of their own.
At
dusk, ANC leaders, local chiefs and the men in Mandela’s family are expected to
gather for a private night vigil, held according to the traditions of the
Thembu community, his native clan, before a public funeral the next day.
Villagers may gather outside the house to pay their respects.
Who’s attending
Foreign leaders
were encouraged to attend Tuesday’s memorial service in
Johannesburg. Nonetheless, dozens of international dignitaries are expected to
make their way to the Eastern Cape for Mandela’s funeral.
The
airport in East London, South of Qunu, will be used for their arrival and
departure, with access closely controlled.
Notable
figures thought to be on the guest list include former U.S. President Bill
Clinton and his family; Britain’s Prince Charles and TV talk-show host Oprah
Winfrey.
There’s
no doubting the global media interest. More than 4,000 journalists had been
accredited as of yesterday morning, with more expected, a government
spokeswoman said. However, only the national broadcaster will be given access
to the funeral, with other journalists in Qunu to be based at the
NelsonMandelaMuseum.
The
event will be broadcast to an audience of millions around the world.
The funeral
A private
family prayer service will be held Sunday morning at Mandela’s home. The
funeral will then be held in a large white tent at the family farm.
The
Mandela family, South African President Jacob Zuma and Cabinet members will be
present as well as local and foreign dignitaries. About 4,500 people are
expected.
The
military will again be charged with draping Mandela’s coffin with the flag.
Members of the military will perform a salute, and the national anthem will be
played.
The burial
A group
of family and close
friends, expected to number about 430, will walk up to the grave site to bid a
final farewell to the man many saw as the father of their nation.
About
2 p.m. — when the summer sun is high in the sky — Mandela will be laid to rest
in the rocky soil of his homeland.
The
burial area has been especially built for him; some of Mandela’s long deceased
family members are already buried at the site. It will be, according to custom,
a homecoming.
His
grave site is surrounded by rocky outcrops, hardy grass used for the grazing of
cattle and bright orange aloe plants.
Security
With so
many high-profile guests in South Africa for Mandela’s state funeral, security
has been a key concern.
Zuma
has authorized nearly 12,000 members of the South African National Defence
Force to serve alongside the police force “to maintain law and order” during
the funeral period, the presidency said. They are employed for 15 days, from
December 6 to December 20.
A
tight military cordon is expected around the funeral site to assuage security
fears.
No comments:
Post a Comment