JOHANNESBURG (AP) – South Africans erupted in song, dance and tears today in public in emotional celebrations of the life of Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who bridged this country’s black-white divide and helped avert a race war.
People of all colours hugged and shared emotional moments as anti-apartheid leaders like retired archbishop Desmond Tutu called for the 51 million South Africans to adhere to the values of unity and democracy that Mandela embodied. The tributes to Mandela that came from people across the spectrum showed that he had affected people deeply.
“What I liked most about Mandela was his forgiveness, his passion, his diversity, the pact of what he did,” said Ariel Sobel, a white man who was born in 1993, a year before Mandela was elected president. “I am not worried about what will happen next. We will continue as a nation. We knew this was coming. We are prepared.””
Sobel was with a crowd of people who had gathered at Mandela’s home in the leafy Johannesburg neighborhood of Houghton where Mandela spent his last sickly months. A dozen doves were released into the skies and people sang tribal songs, the national anthem, God Bless Africa – the anthem of the anti-apartheid struggle – and Christian hymns.
Many wore traditional garb of Zulu, Xhosa and South Africa’s other ethnic groups. One carried a sign saying: “He will rule the universe with God.”
In Soweto, the rough and tumble black township where Mandela used to live, pockets of dancers and singers shuffled through the street, celebrating Mandela’s life. Dozens of children held oversized pictures of the anti-apartheid icon.
President Jacob Zuma announced that Mandela is to be buried during a state funeral in his rural home town of Qunu on Sunday, December 15. A memorial service is to be held on Tuesday in FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
Mandela’s last public appearance was at the same stadium in 2010 for the closing ceremony of the soccer World Cup.
Mandel’s body will then lie in state in Pretoria for three days. Sunday marks a national day of prayer and reflection.
