Mandela laid to rest
NOW TAKE HIS LEGACY FORWARD, SAYS ZUMA
SOUTH Africa buried Nelson Mandela yesterday, laying the country’s first black president to rest at his ancestral home in Qunu.
Before the burial, 4,500 family, friends and dignitaries attended a state funeral service in a huge domed tent, its interior draped in black, in a field near the 95-year-old’s homestead.
The flag-covered casket was carried in by military chiefs, with Mandela’s grandson and heir, Mandla, and South African President Jacob Zuma following. Zuma said in a eulogy that the country must now “continue building the type of society you worked tirelessly to construct”.
Guests at the service included Prince Charles, Sir Richard Branson, and Oprah Winfrey.
“The person who is lying here is South Africa’s greatest son,” said Cyril Ramaphosa, deputy leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), who presided over the ceremony.