South Africans mourned Friday the death of the man who led the fight to end the system of apartheid here and then went on to lead the country itself
We will always love Madiba for teaching us that it is possible to overcome hatred and anger in order to build a new nation and a new society," President Jacob Zuma told reporters Friday, using the affectionate clan name shared by his countrymen for Nelson Mandela, who died Thursday at age 95.
He will be buried in a state funeral on Sunday, December 15, in his ancestral hometown of Qunu in the Eastern Cape province in a state funeral, Zuma said.
Sunday will be a "national day of prayer and reflection," in which people throughout the nation will gather in places of worship to conduct "prayer services and meditation reflecting on the life" of Mandela, Zuma said.
The official memorial service will be held Tuesday in First National Bank Stadium in Johannesburg.
From Wednesday through next Friday, his body will lie in state at the seat of government in Pretoria, where he served as president, Zuma said, adding, "Long live Madiba!"
Zuma had announced the death late Thursday in a nationally televised address. "Our nation has lost its greatest son, our people have lost a father," he said. "Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss."
On the grass near Mandela's home in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton, children spelled out with rocks "We love you Mandela."
Others wept as they lit candles; still others danced and sang in celebration of a life well lived.
His death was felt around the world. Nearly 8,000 miles north of Johannesburg, in Paris, leaders from 53 African countries attending a summit on peace and security observed a minute of silence for Mandela on Friday
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