Johannesburg - South Africans gathered at
Nelson Mandela's homes in Johannesburg
and his rural hinterland of Qunu on
Saturday to say farewell, while the
government went to work planning a
funeral of a scale never seen in the
country before.
"What makes it different is that it is the
funeral of Madiba, the former president of
the republic, leader of the ANC and a
global icon," Police Minister Nathi
Mthethwa said.
Government announced Mandela's coffin
would be taken through the streets of
Pretoria in a cortege every morning from
Wednesday to Friday - when he will lie in
state at the Union Buildings after a
memorial service on Tuesday in Soweto's
94 000-seat Soccer City.
"We are going to be encouraging members
of the public to be lining the streets... as
[the body]... goes through the streets of
Pretoria to the Union Buildings,"
government communications director Neo
Momodu said in Johannesburg.
She added that tight security would be in
place on buses following the former
president's body to the hill-top seat of
government, including a camera ban.
"They will get on a bus that will be driven
and controlled. It is not a free-for-all."
The procession is part of 10 days of
official mourning for Mandela, leading up
to his state funeral in Qunu next Sunday.
It is expected to see the powerful, royal
and famous come in numbers to pay their
respects after his death on Thursday
struck a chord around the world.
Security
US President Barack Obama has been
among the first statesmen to confirm that
he is due in South Africa, along with his
predecessors George W Bush and Bill
Clinton but government officials said they
were far from having a full list of foreign
dignitaries who would attend.
On Saturday, the military and mounted
police patrolled the streets of Qunu, the
Eastern Cape village where Mandela grew
up, and guarded the house he built here as
a retreat.
Police closed off the N2 - the main road
to and from Qunu - while workers repaired
potholes in the tarmac and South African
Airways announced special flights to take
guests to the funeral.
After stepping up border and air space
security when Mandela died on Thursday,
the defence force cancelled all staff leave
on Saturday to have the numbers needed
for crowd control here and at dozens of
memorial events in coming days.
Mthethwa alluded to the logistical
magnitude of the sweeping send-off for
the liberation hero when he said there
were fears that Soccer City, also known as
the FNB Stadium, could not contain the
number of mourners, among them
international leaders, expected to attend.
"We have looked at FNB Stadium from a
security point of view. FNB Stadium may
not be enough to take all the people who
want to come," Mthethwa said,
The government was also considering using
Ellis Park, in Johannesburg, and the
Orlando Stadium, in Soweto, as overflow
areas where people could pay their
respects.
He stressed that security was....cont...
Nelson Mandela's homes in Johannesburg
and his rural hinterland of Qunu on
Saturday to say farewell, while the
government went to work planning a
funeral of a scale never seen in the
country before.
"What makes it different is that it is the
funeral of Madiba, the former president of
the republic, leader of the ANC and a
global icon," Police Minister Nathi
Mthethwa said.
Government announced Mandela's coffin
would be taken through the streets of
Pretoria in a cortege every morning from
Wednesday to Friday - when he will lie in
state at the Union Buildings after a
memorial service on Tuesday in Soweto's
94 000-seat Soccer City.
"We are going to be encouraging members
of the public to be lining the streets... as
[the body]... goes through the streets of
Pretoria to the Union Buildings,"
government communications director Neo
Momodu said in Johannesburg.
She added that tight security would be in
place on buses following the former
president's body to the hill-top seat of
government, including a camera ban.
"They will get on a bus that will be driven
and controlled. It is not a free-for-all."
The procession is part of 10 days of
official mourning for Mandela, leading up
to his state funeral in Qunu next Sunday.
It is expected to see the powerful, royal
and famous come in numbers to pay their
respects after his death on Thursday
struck a chord around the world.
Security
US President Barack Obama has been
among the first statesmen to confirm that
he is due in South Africa, along with his
predecessors George W Bush and Bill
Clinton but government officials said they
were far from having a full list of foreign
dignitaries who would attend.
On Saturday, the military and mounted
police patrolled the streets of Qunu, the
Eastern Cape village where Mandela grew
up, and guarded the house he built here as
a retreat.
Police closed off the N2 - the main road
to and from Qunu - while workers repaired
potholes in the tarmac and South African
Airways announced special flights to take
guests to the funeral.
After stepping up border and air space
security when Mandela died on Thursday,
the defence force cancelled all staff leave
on Saturday to have the numbers needed
for crowd control here and at dozens of
memorial events in coming days.
Mthethwa alluded to the logistical
magnitude of the sweeping send-off for
the liberation hero when he said there
were fears that Soccer City, also known as
the FNB Stadium, could not contain the
number of mourners, among them
international leaders, expected to attend.
"We have looked at FNB Stadium from a
security point of view. FNB Stadium may
not be enough to take all the people who
want to come," Mthethwa said,
The government was also considering using
Ellis Park, in Johannesburg, and the
Orlando Stadium, in Soweto, as overflow
areas where people could pay their
respects.
He stressed that security was....cont...