Nelson Mandela has finally been laid to rest in his childhood village of Qunu; a South African shouts out praises as she watches Madiba’s coffin being led to the grave site. Photo: USAToday
The late freedom fighter Nelson Mandela has finally been laid to rest in his childhood village of Qunu on Sunday, December 15, 2013.
The first black South African president and Apartheid hero’s burial follows 10 days of national mourning after Madiba passed away on December 5, 2013 from a recurring lung infection and declining health.
About 4,500 people gathered to witness the burial, including Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, his ex-wife, Winnie Mandela who sat next to her, Oprah Winfrey, Prince Charles and business mogulRichard Branson.
‘Today marks the end of an extraordinary journey that began 95 years ago. It is the end of 95 glorious years of a freedom fighter … a beacon of hope to all those fighting for a just and equitable world order’, South African President Jacob Zuma said during the ceremony.
Mandela’s body had arrived on Saturday December 14, 2013 in the tiny village located in the Eastern Cape Province, where he grew up.
Before then, Madiba’s body lay in state for three days in Pretoria.
Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years for defying the racist apartheid government that led South Africa for decades. He emerged from prison in 1990 and became South Africa’s first black president four years later, all the while promoting forgiveness and reconciliation.
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