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FIVE DAYS AFTER his death, South Africa has begun the official ceremonial mourning of its great unifier.
An estimated 80,000 people will attend a memorial service for Nelson Mandela at a stadium in Johannesburg today, following a national day of prayer held throughout the country yesterday.
South Africa is holding a 10-day mourning period in recognition of the importance of Mandela’s role in leading the country through the struggle against apartheid.
Here’s what’s happening this week :
Today
Members of the public and heads of state from around the world will attend the official memorial service at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg today. An estimated 80,000 people will attend the service, which begins at 11am and ends at 3pm (1pm-5pm GMT).
Mandela’s grandchildren will read a tribute to him, followed by comments from dignitaries including US president Barack Obama, Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, and Cuban president Raúl Castro.
Smaller memorial services will be held across the country to ensure that members of the public will have an opportunity to attend.
Wednesday 11 December – Friday 13 December
A picture of Mandela at a shopping centre in Rosebank, a district of Johannesburg, on Monday. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
The former president’s body will lie in state at the seat of government in the Union Buildings in Pretoria. His remains will be brought from a nearby hospital to the building every morning at 7am which the government has said will be an opportunity for mourners to form a guard of honour along the route.
Mandela’s family and senior politicians and dignitaries will view the body from 10am on Wednesday, with members of the public filing past from 12 noon until 5.30pm. On Thursday and Friday the casket will be on view from 8am until 5.30pm.
Mourners will be shuttled to the building and back from two nearby sites, with the government warning that other other access will be possible.
Mourners have been told that mobile phones must be out of sight as they file past the body.
Saturday 14 December
Morners from Nigeria sing outside the home of Mandela in Johannesburg on Monday (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Mandela’s remains will be transported to the town of Qunu, where he was raised, from the Waterkloof air force base in Pretoria, where the ruling African National Congress which he once led will bid farewell to Madiba.
Mandela’s coffin, which will be draped in the South African flag, will be greeted at the Eastern Cape by a military guard of honour and moved into a hearse.
A procession will take place to Qunu, where Mandela’s Thembu clan will conduct a traditional ceremony at Mandela’s family home.
Sunday 15 December
Mandela will be laid to rest in a state funeral at Qunu, concluding the 10-day State funeral period. The burial will be broadcast live on television and viewing points will be erected around the country to allow as many people as possible to follow the interment.
Additional reporting by AFP
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Aged between 12 and 14 … Just shows evil has no age .. How can you protect against that
the sad thing is he may not have willingly worn it -
Adults should know better, but a kid that young has clearly been severely indoctrinated (as have all of Daesh’s foot soldiers). Tragic and heinous attack.
He may not have known what he was wearing
There are a lot of reports of young children/teens being manipulated into performing suicide bombings, with their families and friends being threatened. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to be put in that position.
@Steve McMahon-By stopping immigration from this Ideology masquerading as a religion we can at least partially protect ourselves ,-but it’s coming our way for sure under existing conditions.
Erdogan appears to have incredible investigative powers, has definitively solved this one a few hours after the event. Just like the coup, where the entire civil service was gutted a couple of days later.
@Michael Garvey-But Erdogan does have his admirers,-one being What-difference-does-it-make-now-Hillary Clinton!
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—-”Clinton clearly views Erdoğan as a formidable leader, having described him in her memoir, “Living History,” as an “ambitious, forceful, devout, and effective politician.—”
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http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/the-future-of-us-turkey-relations.aspx?pageID=449&nID=103093&NewsCatID=396
He prob is forceful, devout and ambitious.
And now he has said they have no idea what age the perpetrator was
So Erdogan is saying this.Ya,I’ll believe it.
Equating the PKK to Daesh is a nice slice of doublethink and propaganda from Erdogan alright.
Wonder if the lady who is mentironed above is the mother who lost 4 of her children ….horrendous loosing one child is unthinkable but 4 …I have no words.
“The president said the Islamic State group was the “likely perpetrator” of the bomb attack, the deadliest in 2016, that targeted a celebration attended by many Kurds.”
Yeah, because I hear that out of the two of them it’s IS that hates the Kurds the most, and not Erdogan. Uh huh.
These so called Islamists are the devil’s disiples,nothing else.They are not Muslims and have no right whatsoever to quote the Koran or shout allahu akbar! None ! So next time when young men and women are in their bedroom on their computer being brainwashed on the ideology that they should carry out their “duty “to Muhammad by murdering innocent people,realise that you are doing it for the Devil ok No one else.you are NOT Muslims. You are vicious murdering brutes with no rational cause and are not going to be with 7 lovely brides in paradise. You are just going to burn in hell.
@Gerry Fallon-The Koran the Islamists use to justify themselves is the same Koran that all other Muslim use and Muslims will not tolerate any revision of its contents saying that the commands of Allah are unalterable.
All Muslims pay the Annual 2.5% ZAKAT Charity tax amounting to over $200 Billion and 1/8th of this is earmarked by Sharia Law for Jihad against non-Muslims and apostates. This is stated unequivocally in the Hanbook of Sharia Law called ‘The Reliance of the Traveller’ see below and link.All Muslims know where this money goes to and so all Muslims are complicit in Global Terror against non-Muslims and Apostaes.
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—-”H8.17: Those Fighting for Allah/Category 7
The seventh category is those fighting for Allah, meaning people engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no salary has been allotted in the army roster (O: but who are volunteers for jihad without remuneration). They are given enough to suffice them for the operation, even if affluent; of weapons, mounts, clothing, and expenses (O: for the duration of the journey, round trip, and the time they spend there, even if prolonged.—”
http://islamexposed.blogspot.ie/2010/08/reliance-of-traveller-handbook-of.html
Strange for ISIS to be attacking their biggest ally?
One of their biggest allies, I think.
Anyway, is their any rational thinking to be expected from them?
Vile pigs
Watched some of the funerals of the victims on Turkish TV would break your heart so many small coffins …..one of a 3 month old baby . The heartbroken mother who lost 4 of her children said that what stopped her from taking her own life to be with her children was that she had a child still living who needed her.
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