S Africa 'day of prayer' for Mandela

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 08 Desember 2013 | 18.20

8 December 2013 Last updated at 05:54 ET
Winnie Mandela and President Jacob Zuma attend a memorial service for Nelson Mandela

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President Zuma paid tribute to Nelson Mandela: "He believed in caring and he cared for our nation"

People in South Africa are taking part in a day of prayer and reflection for Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday.

At the Bryanston Methodist church in Johannesburg, President Jacob Zuma urged South Africans not to forget the values Mr Mandela stood for.

At the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Soweto, priest Sebastian Roussouw said the late president had been "a light in the darkness".

A national memorial service is due to be held on Tuesday.

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Bishop Mosa Sono summed up the mood in this extremely religious nation when he told thousands of worshippers at the Grace Bible Church in Soweto: "Thank God for Madiba."

An image of Nelson Mandela's face was displayed on the screen, while his famous "I'm prepared to die" speech was played to the congregation, so numerous that plastic chairs had been set up outside the main hall to accommodate them.

"We are celebrating his life, not mourning his passing," said Tebeho Mahlope, 34. "He was old, he needed to rest, he has done what he needed to do," said Pamela Mpanza, 29.

The nearby Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Soweto, known as "the people's church", was used by anti-apartheid campaigners as a secure venue to plan their outlawed activities after Mr Mandela was arrested.

Here too, the priest spoke of the light and hope the "Father of the Nation" had brought to South Africa and the world.

Mr Mandela will be given a state funeral on 15 December.

South Africans have been holding vigils since Mr Mandela died at home the age of 95, after several months of ill health.

Addressing the congregation in Johannesburg- including members of the Mandela family - Mr Zuma praised Mr Mandela for his commitment to peace and reconciliation.

"He stood for freedom, he fought against those who oppressed others. He wanted everyone to be free."

In Sunday's service at the Regina Mundi Church - which acted as a vital meeting place during the apartheid era - priest Sebastian Roussouw praised Mr Mandela for his "humility and forgiveness".

"Madiba did not doubt the light. He paved the way for a better future, but he cannot do it alone," he said, referring to Mr Mandela by his clan name.

In Cape Town, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba said Mr Mandela was a powerful and continuing reminder that individuals do have the power to make change happen in the world.

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1918 Born in the Eastern Cape

1943 Joins ANC

1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped after a four-year trial

1962 Jailed for five years for incitement and leaving country without a passport

1964 Charged with sabotage, sentenced to life

1990 Freed from prison

1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize

1994-99 Serves as president

2004 Retires from public life

2010 Last major public appearance at football World Cup in Johannesburg

Mr Mandela's successor as president, Thabo Mbeki, will attend a service at the Oxford Shul synagogue in Johannesburg in the afternoon.

Other senior politicians and ANC officials are attending services across the country, in what correspondents say it an attempt to involve more scattered communities.

'Guard of honour'

The focal points for public remembrance have so far been Mr Mandela's house in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton and his old home in Soweto.

Mourners and wellwishers there have lit candles and laid thousands of wreaths of flowers.

Mr Mandela's body will lie in state on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the heart of the South African government in Pretoria, before his funeral on Sunday.

His body will be taken each day from the mortuary to the city hall through the streets of Pretoria.

Members of the public have been encouraged to line the route and form a "guard of honour".

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The government has also given further details of the state funeral arrangements.

  • Tuesday, 10 December is the day for South Africa's official memorial service at the FNB Stadium on the outskirts of Johannesburg, which will attract world leaders as well as ordinary South Africans
  • Between 11-13 December, "selected international visitors and guests" will be able to view Mr Mandela's remains at the Union Buildings in Pretoria
  • His body will be transported on Saturday, 14 December, from Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria to the Eastern Cape, with a procession from the airport at Mthatha to his home village of Qunu where a traditional ceremony will be held.
  • A funeral service will take place at Qunu - where Mr Mandela grew up and later retired to - on Sunday, 15 December

US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will attend Tuesday's memorial service, along with three other former US presidents, George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

One government minister has predicted the 95,000-seat stadium being used for the event will be overwhelmed, and promised that overflow areas would be set up.

Flags at all official buildings are to remain at half mast throughout the period and books of condolence are being circulated across the country and online for people to post tributes, record memories and express their emotions.

A government statement recalled the former president's own thoughts when asked how he wished to be remembered.

"It would be very egotistical of me to say how I would like to be remembered," Mr Mandela said.

"I'd leave that entirely to South Africans. I would just like a simple stone on which is written, 'Mandela'."

In their first public statement, on Saturday, Mr Mandela's family likened him to a baobab tree that had provided shade and protection.

The former South African leader spent 27 years in jail before becoming the country's first black president in 1994.

He served a single term before stepping down in 1999.

Mr Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 along with FW de Klerk, South Africa's last white president.

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