Guests arrive for Nelson Mandela's funeral in the rural village of Qunu, where he spent his early childhood, bringing to an end 10 days of national mourning for South Africa's first back president
Troops from all of South Africa’s services had by dawn assembled on the wide road outside the Mandela family farm, to give South Africa’s first black president the young democracy’s first State Funeral.
They paraded up and down in red, white, blue and green uniforms. The Honourable State President’s Guard stood to attention with bayonets to the sky, with air force, infantry, medical corps, navy and intelligence corps close by. The Scots Band marched past, complete with kilts and bagpipes.
Security was tight outside the house, with both military police, beefy security servicemen and civilian police checking passes carefully. Most were dressed in suits and black dresses but some arrived in traditional outfits, the men with leopard skins draped over their shoulders to denote their senior status in their respective clans.
As guests arrived and were ushered past the guardhouse and through the spike-topped metal gates. President Jacob Zuma and his spokesman Mac Maharaj, both former detainees from Robben Island with Mr Mandela, arrived in a fleet of BMW 4x4s bristling with armed protection officers.
The Prince of Wales was yet to arrive at 7.15am.
Mandela’s coffin was carried slowly past the gates of his home by soldiers, led by a purple-gowned churchman. Ahead of them marched the presidential guard, their bayonets raised.
Despite predictions of a return of the rain which marred his memorial service, the morning sun beat down.
On the hill at the corner of his property, a 21-gun salute was fired as a brass band played.
On the road outside, locals in ANC T-shirts joined soldiers to watch him go.
Derrick Grootboom, 47, drove his wife Marika and two daughters, aged nine and five, for 15 hours from the Northern Cape to see how close they could get to the funeral.
Mr Grootboom, a lawyer, was detained in four Western Cape prisons, including Robben Island, during apartheid for taking part in Mr Mandela’s infrastructure sabotage campaign.
He later won a Mandela Foundation scholarship to study law at Southampton University in the UK.
“All of the things I have achieved are because of the influence of this man,” he said. “Just to be close to the place he is being put to rest is enough. We have been telling our daughters about his life on the journey.
Last night was the first night they have ever spent in a hotel. This is a special trip for all of us.”
Source: the Telegraph
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