Nelson Mandela's body arrives home for burial

-
Nelson Mandela's coffin has arrived in his ancestral home in Qunu in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa, the final leg of its journey.
Large numbers of people lined the roads in the rural region to pay their respects as the cortege passed by.
A state funeral will be held on Sunday for Mr Mandela, who died on 5 December.
At least 100,000 people saw the former South African president's body lying in state in Pretoria over the last three days, but some had to be turned away.
Last respects
The coffin was flown from Waterkloof airbase in Pretoria on a C130 military aircraft, escorted by two fighter jets.
In line with tribal custom, Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla accompanied him on the journey, speaking to his coffin to tell him he was on his way home to rest.
It arrived in Mthatha, 700 km (450 miles) away at 13:37 local (11:37 GMT).
To solemn music, the coffin draped in a South African flag was moved by a military guard of honour and placed in a hearse to begin the 32km journey to Qunu, where Mr Mandela had said he wanted to be buried.
People waving flags and cheering and singing - in places 10 to 12 deep - lined the route taken by the cortege through Mthatha town to pay their last respects.
Tears as well as smiles could be seen on the faces of onlookers.
"He is finally coming home to rest, I can't even begin to describe the feeling I have inside," 31-year-old Bongani Zibi told AFP news agency.
"Part of me is sad but I'm also happy that he has found peace."
See Pictures below......
Funeral cortege drives through Qunu (14 Dec 2013)
Nelson Mandela always said he wanted to be buried in his childhood home of Qunu

Xhosa women in traditional dress wait for the coffin to pass in Qunu (14 Dec 2013) 
 His funeral will be conducted according to the traditions of the Xhosa people, from which he comes 
Officers carry Nelson Mandela's coffin on to a C130 military transport plane 
The coffin was flown to Mthatha aboard a C130 military transport plane, after a special ANC ceremony to bid farewell to Mr Mandela
ANC supporters at the ceremony in Waterkloof airbase (14 Dec 2013) 
About 1,000 members of the ANC, which Mr Mandela once led, attended the special celebration at Waterkloof airbase 
President Zuma flanked by Graca Machel (L) and Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Mandela 
Among them were President Zuma, members of Nelson Mandela's family, his ex-wife Winnie Mandela (R) and his widow, Graca Machel  
People queue for busses before heading to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa 
During three days of public viewing to see the coffin, long queues of people formed
Mandela funeral map 
     
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Technology Is Killing Eye Contact

-
Image
    Christen had an alarming wake-up call one day about the toll that technology was taking on her life -- and her family. "I realized several years ago that I had stopped looking in my children's eyes," the HopeLab President and CEO said at a Huffington Post panel at Ad Week on Tuesday . "And it was shocking to me." Christen's "a-ha" moment was an alarming one, but it's more common than you might think -- and it points toward a larger, and often undiscussed, byproduct of excessive screen time. The decline of eye contact is well-documented , and as we spend more and more of our time staring at screens, there's less time left over to look into people's eyes -- including the eyes of the people we care about most. Between staring at computers during the work day and regularly gazing down at our phones, Americans spending more time with their eyes glued to their screens than ever before. According to recent estimates ,
Read more

Was Bobbi Kristina Used for Illuminati Satanic Blood Sacrifice?

-
Image
Bobbi Kristina died on Sunday age 22 six months after she was found face down and unresponsive in the bath-tub of the Roswell, Georgia, home she shared with then boyfriend, Nick Gordon, 25. Gordon is now a person of interest to investigators attempting to piece together the events that led to Bobbi Kristina’s untimely death. But according to TMZ, he has still written to Bobbi Kristina’s father and Pat Houston begging for permission to attend the funeral service. The email states: ‘I loved Krissi with all my heart and I am destroyed that she is gone and I need to say goodbye. ‘Krissi loved me very much and she would want me there’. The chances of him being accepted by the family are, however, slim to none. The Houston family has slapped him with a $10million lawsuit alleging that he abused her and stole her money while she was in a medically induced coma. While Gordon has been a figure of controversy with Bobby Brown banning him first from his daughter’s hospital bedsi
Read more

Rainbow Fm apologize to the Public for bringing false report on Iyabo Obasanjo

-
Image
  Below is the excerpt of the document: "PRESS RELEASE We at Rainbow F.M 94.1 appreciate and respect our audience. Our content is anchored on the principles of fairness, objectivity, Balance and Accur acy. We recognise that this noble practice requires professionalism, and this is the reason we will leave no stone unturned in informing, educating and entertaining you. We are aware of the falsehood that trailed the December 18th, 2013 edition of the Newspaper Headlines and Editorials anchored by Wellington Olaiya, Theophilus Elamah and Dr. Nick Idoko (on the Rainbow Morning Show) We condemn it At NO TIME on the said date did IYABO OBASANJO, daughter of Ex-President Olusegun Obansanjo, visit, call or make any contact on the show, or with any of the presenters. While we acknowledge the efforts of other practitioners in the development process of this country, we appeal to all media organisations to adhere strictly to ALL THE ETHICS of this whole profession. God b
Read more