The body of South African Leader, Nelson Mandela on Wednesday morning arrived South Africa’s seat of government, the Union Building in Pretoria, as the flag-draped coffin was carried inside and placed under a dome.
The hearse carrying the casket of the anti-apartheid hero, who died last Thursday at 95, weaved through streets lined with people in Pretoria, on its way to the Union Buildings, where he will lie in state for three days.
“This is a very poignant moment,” Khehla Shubane, who served time in prison with Mandela. “This is not the Mandela who was in control of things that were happening around him, inspiring people. This is a Mandela who’s in death now.”
An honour guard stood at attention and a hushed crowd looked on as eight military officers, led by a chaplain, carried the coffin inside. Police helicopters hovered overhead.
Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela and Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula led a small group of mourners wearing black who walked behind the coffin.
South African President Jacob Zuma led the procession followed by Mandela’s widow Graça Machel and former wife Winnie Mandela, both wearing black turbans.
Former South African leaders Thabo Mbeki and F.W. de Klerk, the country’s last apartheid-era president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, U2’s Bono also paused for a moment before moving on. So did Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
The public will be allowed to bid a final farewell on Thursday and Friday.
