World honors anti-apartheid hero
AN ICON’S MEMORIAL Global leaders join the crowds in celebrating Nelson Mandela’s life
Tens of thousands of South Africans united in proud celebration on Tuesday at a rain-soaked and emotional memorial service for global freedom icon Nelson Mandela, attended by presidents and princes and watched by millions around the world.
Close to 100 world leaders were believed to be among the crowd in the World Cup stadium in Soweto — the crucible of Mandela’s antiapartheid struggle — to bid farewell to a man whose life story earned uncommon universal respect.
Th e event began at midday with a stirring rendition of the national anthem, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika (God Bless Africa), led by a mass choir and picked up with enthusiasm by the rest of the stadium.
Despite the profound sense of national sorrow triggered by Mandela’s death on Thursday, the mood was upbeat, with people determined to celebrate the memory of one of the 20th century’s towering political figures.
“He’s God-given, he’s Godtaken. We will never stop cherishing him,” said Shahim Ismail, who took a day off from the sports academy he runs in Johannesburg to attend the event.
South Africa’s Defense Minister Nosivewe Mapisa-Nqakula told the media that more than 11,000 troops have been deployed, as well as a coordinated plan involving the military, air force and police.
“We are talking about Madiba here, so there is no margin for error,” police representative Zweli Mnisi said on Tuesday.
Madiba is Mandela’s clan name that most South African use as an endearment when speaking about the former president.
Crowds had begun gathering before daybreak and, as the gates opened, they swarmed into the stadium, looking for a vantage point on the sloped terracing.
Wrapped in the South African flag or yellow-green colored shawls printed with the slogan “Mandela Forever”, they danced and sang, oblivious to the constant drizzle.
Susan Khupe, a young girl, walked 10 km to attend the service and came in the early hours, trying to be “one of the early birds and avoid hassles at the gate”.
“This is the biggest event ever to happen to South Africa. I have to pay my respect to our beloved hero Nelson Mandela,” said Khupe, wearing an African National Congress T-shirt.
“South Africa will never be the same again. Rest in peace my hero, we love you!” said 46-year-old Soweto resident Timothy Nxumalo.
Many of the songs flowing from the terraces before the formal ceremony began harked back to the apartheidera struggle, but the atmosphere was one of inclusion.
Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, received a huge ovation as she took her seat on the main stage constructed at one end of the field.
United States President Barack Obama shook the hand of Cuban President Raul Castro at the memorial, an unprecedented gesture between the leaders of two nations that have been at loggerheads for more than half a century.
Castro smiled as Obama shook his hand on the way to the podium to make a speech at the commemoration for Mandela. Obama hailed Mandela as a “giant of justice”.
The Indian and Brazilian presidents were also selected to deliver eulogies, reflecting Mandela’s extraordinary global reach, popularity and influence.
Joining Obama on the 16-hour trip aboard Air Force One were former president George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter were also scheduled to attend the memorial service, but traveled to South Africa separately.
Obama compared the former Mandela to Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln.
“For nothing he achieved was inevitable,’’ Obama said. “In the arc of his life, we see a man who earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness, persistence and faith. He tells us what’s possible not just in the pages of dusty history books, but in our own lives as well.’’
British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and Afghan President Hamid Karzai were all on the state funeral guest list.
“It is clear that people here in South Africa want to, yes, say goodbye to this great man, yes, commemorate what he did, but also celebrate his life and celebrate his legacy,” Cameron said.
Singer- activist Bono and South African actress Charlize Theron were among the celebrity mourners.
The memorial event was part of an extended state funeral that will culminate in Mandela’s burial on Sunday in the rural village of Qunu, where he spent his early childhood.
Although Mandela had been critically ill for months, the announcement of his death was a body blow for this recently reborn nation.
He had been out of public life for more than a decade, but South Africans looked to his unassailable moral authority as a comforting constant in a time of uncertain social and economic change.
On Monday, his eldest daughter Makaziwe Mandela told how her father spent a “wonderful” week surrounded by family before he died.
“The children were there, the grandchildren were there ... so we are always around him, even at the last moment,” she told the BBC.
Ahead of the burial in Qunu, Mandela’s body will lie in state for three days from Wednesday in the amphitheater of the Union Buildings in Pretoria where he was sworn in as president in 1994.
Each morning, his coffin will be borne through the streets of the capital in a funeral cortege, to give as many people as possible the chance to pay their final respects. Mandela family friend Andrew Mlangeni: “He touched my heart, my soul, my life and those of the millions of South Africans. He created hope where there was none.’’ Family member Thanduxolo Mandela: “To him, life was all about service to others. He mingled with kings, queens and presidents. ... At the core, he was a man of the people.” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “Mr Mandela was more than one of the greatest pillars of our time. He was one of our greatest teachers. He taught by example. He sacrificed so much ... for freedom and equality, for democracy and justice.’’ US President Barack Obama: “He was not a bust made of marble, he was a man of flesh and blood. It is hard to eulogize any man ... how much harder to do so for a giant of history who moved a nation towards justice.” Former British prime minister Gordon Brown: “His life was just an extraordinary journey, from beginning to end, with such an effect, both on his own country, and on the rest of the world. So, enjoy today, enjoy and celebrate what he achieved. We may not see his like again.’’ Muhammad Choonara, a 24-year-old university student: “I think Madiba would like us to celebrate and not be sad, to have smiles on our faces.” Matlhogonolo Mothoagae, a 24-year-old marketing student: “I would not have the life I have today if it was not for him. I’m here to show my gratitude to Madiba. He was jailed so we could have our freedom.”