Nelson Mandela will be laid to rest Sunday after 10 days of public mourning and memorials for the legendary anti-apartheid leader.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela will be laid to rest Sunday after 10 days of public mourning and memorials for the legendary anti-apartheid leader.
Sunday’s state funeral is set to be held in Qunu, Mandela’s ancestral home in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. His body arrived there Saturday and was greeted by local residents who sang and danced.
The outpouring for the late leader has been massive. More than 100,000 people paid respect to Mandela while he lay in state in Pretoria, and his memorial service on Tuesday attracted tens of thousands. Thousands are expected to attend the funeral.
Mandela, who was elected his country’s first black president in 1994, died on Dec. 5 at 95. He spent 27 years in prison for his opposition to South Africa’s repressive apartheid government before emerging as a leader in the movement toward reconciliation between white and black citizens.