:00:44. > :00:50.Good evening and welcome back to Pretoria, on a rather stormy
:00:51. > :00:54.evening. Nelson Mandela's body has been lying in state here today. The
:00:55. > :00:59.atmosphere in South Africa's capital city, very different from what it
:01:00. > :01:02.was in the stadium in Johannesburg yesterday for the memorial service.
:01:03. > :01:08.This was the first time since Mandela's death, last Thursday, that
:01:09. > :01:11.his coffin had been seen in public, and people were lining the route to
:01:12. > :01:15.catch against of it as it was driven along the city's streets in the
:01:16. > :01:19.early morning, a procession which began at the military hospital,
:01:20. > :01:22.where the body had been kept overnight, before making its way
:01:23. > :01:27.under escort to the Union Buildings high on the hill behind me here. It
:01:28. > :01:31.is a big change from yesterday, when, as in Johannesburg, it was
:01:32. > :01:38.teaming with rain. You will remember people saying it was gold's sign of
:01:39. > :01:40.grace to give rain at a funeral, and it rather reduced the number of
:01:41. > :01:45.people who came to the football stadium. And here it was exactly the
:01:46. > :01:48.same, pouring with rain all day long. But today is much more
:01:49. > :01:52.cheerful, might mean that people come out onto the streets to see the
:01:53. > :01:58.coughing going past. There have been people dancing in the streets
:01:59. > :02:04.already along the route, which takes us up -- coffin -- from the hospital
:02:05. > :02:09.itself, past the old monument, past the Freedom Park, set up as a
:02:10. > :02:14.reminder of all of those people who have given their lives in the cause
:02:15. > :02:20.of frieze, past the present, and then into the centre of Pretoria,
:02:21. > :02:27.past church square, and finally, winding up to these Union Buildings
:02:28. > :02:36.here. And here is the band, on its way. On its way to the amphitheatre,
:02:37. > :02:41.I suspect, where the coffin will lie in state. Yes, it is marching along
:02:42. > :02:45.the Esplanade, just in front of the amphitheatre, with the gardens
:02:46. > :02:53.swooping down to the bottom, and the big memorial, in Afrikaans and
:02:54. > :02:56.English there. There is an army band, and it is led by a band from
:02:57. > :03:31.the air force. I am joined here by Dr Mamphela
:03:32. > :03:35.Ramphele, a very, very distinguished political fighter, I suppose is the
:03:36. > :03:40.right way to describe you. You go back to the very heart of the
:03:41. > :03:45.struggle, you were the partner of Steve Biko, who was murdered,
:03:46. > :03:51.assassinated, and you saw many friends killed in that era. When you
:03:52. > :03:55.go past the coffin, if you do, what with your thoughts be, will they be
:03:56. > :04:05.back there? My thoughts are likely to be back to the first day I saw Mr
:04:06. > :04:11.Mandela, which was July 31 1988. But there will also be thoughts of
:04:12. > :04:20.gratitude, that such a great man was able to help us conclude a struggle
:04:21. > :04:27.which has become a stalemate. And my thoughts will also be about, how do
:04:28. > :04:35.we take forward his legacy? How do we honour this great man, in terms
:04:36. > :04:43.of making sure that we complete the Long Walk To Freedom, which has not
:04:44. > :04:47.yet been completed for 80% of South Africa's people? How did you
:04:48. > :04:51.yourself first become involved in the battle against apartheid but
:04:52. > :04:56.events because some people took no part in that, just lived lives under
:04:57. > :04:59.apartheid, but there were others who decided that they should stand up
:05:00. > :05:04.and fight, and you were one of those, so how did that come about? I
:05:05. > :05:11.was fortunate to be part of a community of students, only about 15
:05:12. > :05:17.of us, at the medical school, which was only for black students, it was
:05:18. > :05:23.called Natale University Non-european Section. And we had
:05:24. > :05:29.happily called ourselves non-European is, non-whites, until,
:05:30. > :05:35.after many months of discussions, of reading up on Martin Luther King, on
:05:36. > :05:42.the black power struggle in the US, issues in West Africa, we came to a
:05:43. > :05:52.slowly evolving conclusion that the major problem why apartheid was so
:05:53. > :05:56.powerful, conduct and by Emma minority over a large majority, was
:05:57. > :06:06.because they had imprisoned our minds. Let's just go back to the
:06:07. > :06:10.route for a moment. The coffin with Nelson Mandela goes on a very
:06:11. > :06:14.interesting route. It passes, among other things, the main prison in
:06:15. > :06:17.Pretoria, and it passes the place where Nelson Mandela was put on
:06:18. > :06:23.trial and sentenced to life imprisonment. Clive Myrie is a long
:06:24. > :06:28.that route. I am pleased to say, I have got a couple of people who have
:06:29. > :06:33.come down here to Madiba Street and are willing to talk to us. Thank you
:06:34. > :06:36.very much for being with us. I just want you to explain why it is
:06:37. > :06:47.important for you to be here today. It is an absolute Lessing to be part
:06:48. > :06:51.of this historical memorial event. For me to be able to pay my last
:06:52. > :06:59.respects for Nelson Mandela, he was such a great person, such a loving
:07:00. > :07:03.person, and we all love him, it does not matter who you are in South
:07:04. > :07:09.Africa or worldwide, we all loved him. And it is a huge loss for all
:07:10. > :07:13.of us. And it is my way of paying tribute to him today, this morning,
:07:14. > :07:19.because I could not make it yesterday, it was impossible. So,
:07:20. > :07:23.this is my opportunity to view the casket when it goes past and take
:07:24. > :07:33.that moment and hold onto it for ever. The coffin, draped in the
:07:34. > :07:38.national flag. And now, for the first time, crowds on either side
:07:39. > :07:51.cheering as it goes past, somebody throwing flowers.
:07:52. > :08:06.This is the Metropolitan Police escort for the hearse. It goes past,
:08:07. > :08:12.as I was saying, the central prison in Pretoria, where Nelson Mandela
:08:13. > :08:19.was first imprisoned, imprisoned for five years, for leaving the country
:08:20. > :08:32.illegally, if you can believe. And he served the first part of his
:08:33. > :08:42.sentence here in Britain Tory, given prisoner number... -- here in
:08:43. > :08:47.Pretoria. It was a pretty dismal place. I think Winnie Mandela
:08:48. > :09:03.herself was also imprisoned for a time in the jail in Pretoria. Here
:09:04. > :09:16.is the cortege, escorted by the police.
:09:17. > :09:25.It draws up on the terrace, on the front side of the Union Buildings.
:09:26. > :09:29.This is just below the amphitheatre where, just under 20 years ago, he
:09:30. > :09:43.took the oath of office as president. I have been joined here
:09:44. > :09:47.in the studio by a professor. Thank you very much for joining us. This
:09:48. > :09:53.service, this ceremony, to what extent is it a traditional African
:09:54. > :09:58.service which we are seeing here, a traditional recognition? First of
:09:59. > :10:10.all, thank you for that question. This service here is where people
:10:11. > :10:17.are going to view the body of Nelson Mandela. First, they are paying
:10:18. > :10:21.their last respects. Secondly, it is helping them to release him to go.
:10:22. > :10:26.Thirdly, it is also a healing process. In other words, now that
:10:27. > :10:34.people have seen him, that is the body, even those that did not accept
:10:35. > :10:40.yet that he has gone, they are now able to say, we have seen him, and
:10:41. > :10:49.he is gone. And that might be some form of healing to them.
:10:50. > :10:56.There are moments when the family actually speaks to the body, is this
:10:57. > :11:04.one of them, or is that at the actual burial? I was being told
:11:05. > :11:09.yesterday that you speak to the body to tell it where it is and what is
:11:10. > :11:15.happening to it. That's right. The belief is that even though the
:11:16. > :11:21.person has passed away, but he is not actually dead, dead, dead. So,
:11:22. > :11:26.people can still actually communicate with him. Remember, he
:11:27. > :11:30.is now becoming an ancestor of the family. So, people must from time to
:11:31. > :11:38.time communicate with him. And they also believe that he is awake, he
:11:39. > :11:42.can hear, so that is why we need to always tell him that this is where
:11:43. > :11:45.we are now, we are going there. This is what is going to happen now. So
:11:46. > :11:50.that he is aware of what is happening around him. Is this done
:11:51. > :11:56.by whispering to the coffin or actually talking out lied -- out
:11:57. > :12:00.loud? Some people can talk like I am talking to you now, so that even the
:12:01. > :12:02.other man was of the family can hear what he is saying. I think most of
:12:03. > :12:21.the time that is happening. The Escort of the military police,
:12:22. > :12:38.in the White helmets, in the front. The guard of honour to the right.
:12:39. > :12:45.And the band just beyond them. The grandson of Nelson Mandela, a
:12:46. > :12:48.controversial figure in the family, standing, waiting for his
:12:49. > :13:10.grandfather's coffin to be brought out.
:13:11. > :13:25.The chaplain general of the Armed Forces, in uniform. There is a pause
:13:26. > :13:30.now. The helicopter is still buzzing over, as we are waiting for the
:13:31. > :13:42.coffin to be brought out from the hearse. I think they were also
:13:43. > :13:48.commenting on the noise above them. And so, on this hot morning, it is
:13:49. > :13:56.now just after ten to eight here in Pretoria, we are waiting for what
:13:57. > :14:02.will be first of all a private moment, when the family greet the
:14:03. > :14:09.body and the coffin, and the public moment when the politicians do. And
:14:10. > :14:19.that will be followed by the public at large. These are senior
:14:20. > :14:22.officers, who will be the guard that carries the coffin, the coffin
:14:23. > :15:15.bearers. The guard of honour present arms,
:15:16. > :15:55.and the band plays the national anthem.
:15:56. > :17:03.The terrace of the Union Buildings on the highest hill in Pretoria,
:17:04. > :17:09.with the guard of honour and the pallbearers about to carry Nelson
:17:10. > :17:16.Mandela's Coffin from the hearse which bought it from the hospital in
:17:17. > :18:11.Pretoria, up to the quadrangle at the top, where it will lie in state.
:18:12. > :18:17.George Alagiah is that the Union Buildings.
:18:18. > :18:21.It was just a few moments ago that Nelson Mandela's body was brought
:18:22. > :18:27.here, and it was one of those spine tingling moments. So much of the
:18:28. > :18:32.last few days has been about noise, and here, and we saw the guard of
:18:33. > :18:40.honour salute, as his body was brought in, and the national anthem
:18:41. > :18:43.being sunk, that in itself was the product of Nelson Mandela's
:18:44. > :18:51.determination to reconcile black and white South Africans, part of the
:18:52. > :18:57.old Afrikaner anthem subsumed into the song that we almost, the anthem
:18:58. > :19:03.that we all know, sunk by South African blacks over the ages. We can
:19:04. > :19:11.see the Coffin, and edge of it, at least, and the top has been taken
:19:12. > :19:16.off. Now, what we are waiting for is for the official dignitaries, the
:19:17. > :19:19.families, to come round, get their chance to spend a few private
:19:20. > :19:25.moments with the body of Nelson Mandela.
:19:26. > :19:29.I have been joined by George Bizos, the famous and distinguished lawyer
:19:30. > :19:36.who defended Nelson Mandela, who is a close friend of the family. When
:19:37. > :19:43.did you see him last? It was two days before he was hospitalised. He
:19:44. > :19:50.was having lunch, helped write Graca Machel two finishers meal, for about
:19:51. > :19:59.half an hour, and we spoke about various things. I had left my jacket
:20:00. > :20:05.in the car. When we were saying goodbye, he said, George, make sure
:20:06. > :20:13.you do not leave your jacket behind. That is the last time I
:20:14. > :20:21.spoke to him, and I heard of his condition, critical but stable,
:20:22. > :20:33.which was the slogan given out regularly to the media, I knew from
:20:34. > :20:45.Graca Machel that he was not really able to communicate meaningfully,
:20:46. > :20:48.and I decided to ask to go and see him, and I will live with that last
:20:49. > :21:00.memory. Here is the family, arriving. We
:21:01. > :21:07.think this is the moment when the close family and the government
:21:08. > :21:15.together, apparently, will come and pay homage in the amphitheatre of
:21:16. > :21:30.the Union Buildings. The glass topped Coffin is placed
:21:31. > :21:36.under a canopy in the amphitheatre of the Union Buildings. A guard of
:21:37. > :21:43.honour made up of four South African naval officers, one standing at each
:21:44. > :21:48.corner. The family the first to pay their respects, led by President
:21:49. > :21:56.Jacob Zuma, Graca Machel, Nelson Mandela's widow, Winnie, and their
:21:57. > :22:00.daughter. And then the grandchildren. Behind them, even the
:22:01. > :22:21.great grandchildren will come. The distinctive figure, who was on
:22:22. > :22:24.Robben Island with Nelson Mandela. Graca Machel seems to have had a
:22:25. > :22:29.private moment, giving her husband's body, away from the TV
:22:30. > :22:41.cameras, and she is led away from that.
:22:42. > :22:48.The family, having gone past, it is the turn of former heads of state,
:22:49. > :22:52.the second group of mourners, including Thabo Mbeki, his wife, and
:22:53. > :22:56.various members of the South African government, and foreign
:22:57. > :22:59.dignitaries, among them, the Liberian President, the Zimbabwean
:23:00. > :23:21.president, Robert Mugabe. There is the proud figure of the
:23:22. > :23:28.President of Zambia. The former president, I should say. And here,
:23:29. > :23:36.by the Coffin, Robert Mugabe paying his respects.
:23:37. > :23:45.And so they go on, the former South African president FW de Klerk, and
:23:46. > :23:52.his wife are here, making their way towards the Coffin. And foreign
:23:53. > :23:57.representatives, that is the king of the Netherlands, who took over the
:23:58. > :24:08.throne when his mother advocated earlier this year. -- abdicated.
:24:09. > :24:15.Bono and his wife, waiting to go through. FW de Klerk saying a last
:24:16. > :24:23.farewell to the man with whom he shared the Nobel Peace Prize. A
:24:24. > :24:35.poignant moment for some of the most trusted friends of Nelson Mandela,
:24:36. > :24:36.the lady in the blue, accompanied by Bono and Naomi Campbell, a friend of
:24:37. > :24:48.Nelson Mandela. The former Canadian Prime Minister
:24:49. > :25:19.on the left there. Nelson Mandela's grandson has been
:25:20. > :25:27.standing, watching over the Coffin, since the moment it arrived earlier
:25:28. > :25:32.this morning. And now the family and a dignitaries have finished paying
:25:33. > :25:36.their respects, the rest of the day and the next two days are given over
:25:37. > :25:56.to members of the public who want to say their goodbyes.
:25:57. > :26:02.And so it continued for the rest of the day, with the citizens of South
:26:03. > :26:07.Africa queueing and filing past and paying their respects to the body of
:26:08. > :26:11.Nelson Mandela. Tonight, the Coffin has been taken back to the military
:26:12. > :26:16.hospital before returning here in the morning for two more days of
:26:17. > :26:20.lying in state. On Saturday, Nelson Mandela will be taken to the airport
:26:21. > :26:24.and flown to the Eastern Cape for the final journey to Qunu, his
:26:25. > :26:29.ancestral home, where his funeral will take place on Sunday morning.
:26:30. > :26:34.We are going to be back on BBC Two at 7pm on Saturday for Nelson
:26:35. > :26:41.Mandela's homecoming. For now, from a stormy Pretoria, good night.