Jonathan Declares Three Days Of National Mourning
“DEATH is what we all know is something inevitable. When a man has done what
he considers to be his duty to his people, his country and the world, he can
rest in peace.
“I believe I have made that effort and that is,
therefore, why I will sleep for eternity.”
Those were the wishes of former South African
President, Dr. Nelson Mandela in 1994. Mandela passed on at 8.50 p.m. Thursday,
surrounded by his family and South African President Jacob Zuma.
In the final years of his life, secret plans
were made by the South African government, the military and his family, as they
prepared for a befitting farewell for this great man.
And it will climax on December 15 in Qunu, Eastern
Cape Province, where his remains will be interred at a ceremony to be broadcast
to millions of people across the world, and a very private farewell for those
closest to him.
In Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan has declared
three days of national mourning for former South African President.
According to Zuma, the 10 days of mourning would
combine both Western traditions and those of the Thembu, Mandela’s native clan,
although no formal public events were expected be held until five days after
his death.
Tomorrow has been declared a day of national prayers
to reflect on the life and achievements of Madiba.
There will be an official memorial service in his
honour on December 10 at the FNB Stadium, also known as Soccer City in Soweto,
to be attended by tens of thousands of people.
FNB Stadium was where Mandela made his last public
appearance during the 2010 World Cup final, amidst fears that he might be
strong enough to show up due to his failing health.
Between December 11 and 13, his body will lie in
state for three days at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the seat of the South
African government, where he was inaugurated as South Africa’s first
post-apartheid black president on May 10, 1994. The first day has been reserved
for dignitaries, while the public will be allowed to file past his casket on
the remaining two days during daytime.
Nine days after his death, a military aircraft
will leave a Pretoria airbase and fly south to Mthatha, the main town in the
Eastern Cape Province.
Thembu elders and members of the Mandela family will
make the journey with Mandela’s casket, with thousands of mourners expected to
line the streets from Mthatha airport to watch as the military transports
Mandela’s casket on a gun carriage to the remote village of Qunu, where the
former leader spent his childhood years.
Once at Mandela’s house, the military will formally
pass responsibility for his remains to his family.
The South African flag, to be draped over the coffin,
will be replaced with a traditional Xhosa blanket, symbolising the return of
one of their own.
At dusk, African National Congress (ANC) leaders,
local chiefs and Mandela’s family are expected to gather for a private vigil
before a very public funeral the next day.
The funeral and burial will be on the grounds of
Mandela’s Qunu home, where thousands of people, including dozens of heads of
state, will gather for the state funeral under a large tent nestled in the
hills where Mandela ran and played as a child. The ceremony will be broadcast
to millions of people around the world.
At midday, when the summer sun is high in the sky, his
remains will be laid to rest into the rocky soil of his homeland, specially
built for him and where some of his long deceased family members are already
interred. The interment will be witnessed by only a few hundred close
family members in what is traditionally regarded as a customary home-coming.
The site is surrounded by rocky outcrops, hardy grass
used for the grazing cattle and bright orange aloe plants.
A statement issued by President Jonathan’s
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati in Abuja said flags
are to be flown at half mast across Nigeria during the period.
The President urged all Nigerians to unite in
solidarity with the brotherly people of South Africa as they mourn “the great
liberator, freedom fighter and hero of the black race.”
Jonathan also called for special prayers in mosques
and churches in Nigeria during the period, which began yesterday, for the peaceful
repose of Mandela’s soul.
The statement added that a special
inter-denominational memorial service for Mandela would be held at the State
House Chapel Sunday.
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