JOHANNESBURG (AP) – The memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela tomorrow is poised to be one of the largest such gatherings in generations with tens of thousands of local mourners and dozens of foreign leaders expected.
South African officials say the normal seating capacity of Johannesburg’s FNB stadium probably won’t suffice to accommodate all mourners. Security for the event is likely to be tight as the list of presidents, heads of government, royalty and celebrities keeps growing by the hour.
The South African government said yesterday a total of 53 heads of state, government and ministers have confirmed they will be attending the service.
Here’s a selection of confirmed attendees compiled by The Associated Press:
* United States President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as well as former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
* U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his predecessor Kofi Annan.
* British Prime Minister David Cameron.
* French President Francois Hollande and his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.
* German President Joachim Gauck.
* Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and three of his predecessors.
* Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Prince Felipe.
* Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and three of her predecessors, including Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
* Indian President Pranab Mukherjee.
* Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
* European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
* Haiti’s Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe.
* British entrepreneur Richard Branson and singer Peter Gabriel, who brought the idea of The Elders to Mandela.
