As South Africans mourn the death of Nelson Mandela, tributes are pouring in from around the world for the man who inspired millions as he led his country out of the apartheid era.
Nelson Mandela 1918-2013. Photo: AFP
South Africa's first black president, who spent 27 years in prison before being freed in 1990, died on Thursday night at his home in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton, aged 95. He had been receiving medical care for a lung infection since being discharged from hospital in September.
The BBC reports that hundreds of people gathered outside his home have been sharing memories of him, recounting how they drew inspiration from his life.
A stage has been erected near the house, from where priests have led the crowd in prayers. One of his grandsons, Mbuso Mandela, has laid wreaths and President Jacob Zuma visited the house to pay his respects.
At a news conference on Friday afternoon, Mr Zuma outlined a week of events to mourn the former president.
- Sunday will be an official day of prayer and reflection with special religious services.
- On Tuesday, a service of national mourning will be held at a 95,000-seater soccer stadium on the outskirts of Johannesburg
- Mr Mandela's body will lie in state from Wednesday to Friday in the capital, Pretoria.
- Next Sunday's funeral will be held in the village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape, where Mr Mandela grew up. South African Airways has announced that it will provide extra flights to Qunu for mourners.
Hundreds have attended an interfaith remembrance service outside Cape Town's City Hall. The Johannesburg stock exchange suspended operations for five minutes on Friday as a mark of respect.
Mourners at an interfaith service in Cape Town on Friday. Photo: AFP
In a rare tribute to a non-US citizen the American president, Barack Obama - who is to travel to South Africa for memorial events - has ordered flags at public buildings to be flown at half-mast. France and Britain did the same, as did the United Nations in New York. India declared five days of national mourning.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called Mr Mandela a giant for justice, saying people everywhere were influenced by his selfless struggle for human dignity, equality and freedom.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin says Mr Mandela never betrayed his convictions, and Israel's leaders have hailed him as a champion of peace, despite his advocacy of the Palestinian cause.
Pope Francis paid tribute to Mr Mandela's struggle to forge a just South Africa, praising his commitment to non-violence, reconciliation and truth.
Former US president Bill Clinton, who was in office during Mr Mandela's tenure as president, told the BBC that everyone talks about Mr Mandela's remarkable lack of bitterness about his treatment at the hands of the apartheid system, forgetting that he was a very, very good president as well.
People in cities around the world have made their own personal tributes, leaving flowers and setting up makeshift shrines. A statue of Mr Mandela outside the British parliament was the focus for one of the biggest tributes on Friday, while mourners left floral offerings at South African embassies around the globe in a sign of his far-reaching influence. In the French city of Marseille, football supporters raised a banner in farewell.
Marseille football club supporters farewelled Nelson Mandela on Friday. Photo: AFP
