Edited Coverage Nelson Mandela: The Funeral

The evening from Pretoria in South Africa, where today, ten days after

he died, Nelson Mandela's body was finally buried near his home in Qunu

on the Eastern Cape. We have witnessed events celebrating and

honouring the life of Madiba, as he is affectionately known. This final

set piece was a full state funeral, mixing military pomp with tribal and

religious traditions. Among the family, friends and statesman

gathered, the Prince of Wales arrived early this morning on behalf

of the Queen. Just a stone's throw from Nelson Mandela's house, in open

farmland, a vast auditorium was built to hold the 4500 expected

guests. A guard of honour formed from the road -- formed along the

road from the house where the body was being prepared for its last

journey. The procession down to the marquee

has just begun, led by the police. There will be a 21 gun salute. Then

guns will be firing every minute as this solemn procession, which does

not have to go a great distance... The first site of the gun carriage.

The coffin with the flag of the union of South Africa on it going

into quick march. Behind the coffin are the bearer parties, they are

formed of two groups. They are the senior officers of the military, the

pallbearers, and then the senior warrant officers, who carried the

coffin. There is the figure of the chief

marching beside the coffin. This is the place where Nelson

Mandela said he wanted to be buried. I don't think he envisaged it would

use something like this, with the road specially laid to the marquee,

troops lining it. He had the idea simply of a grave in a traditional

way, with stones on top of it, and one word, Mandela, written on the

tombstone. Solemn funeral music is being

played. The gun carriage comes to a halt

outside the marquee, and inside, the guests are awaiting the start of the

funeral service. The coffin is followed in by the

Chief of the Defence Staff, Graca Machel and Winnie, who have been so

close in these past ten days, they have been seen to be so close. The

widow and the former wife of Nelson Mandela.

A hymn is being played. This morning we cast our eye

collectively back on an unprecedented week of outpouring of

rivers of tears and emotion. About the son of this humble community,

the young man who left Mvezo seven decades ago, grew into a mighty

leader who was to lead, together with his generation of ANC leaders,

our country out of bondage into the free South Africa we enjoy today.

STUDIO: The national anthem, which is sung in three African languages,

then in Afrikaans, then in English. # Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika.

# Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo. # Yizwa imithandazo yethu.

# Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.

# Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso. # O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho.

# O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso.

# Setjhaba sa South Afrika - South Afrika.

# Uit die blou van onse hemel. # Uit die diepte van ons see.

# Oor ons ewige gebergtes. # Waar die kranse antwoord gee.

# Sounds the call to come together. # And united we shall stand.

# Let us live and strive for freedom.

# In South Africa, our land. Please be seated.

The Methodist Church should was the spiritual home of our late leader,

comrades Nelson Mandela. -- Comrade Nelson Mandela.

We will sing together the favourite hymn of Nelson Mandela's mother.

Shall we be seated, and let us pray. You turn all God, in your infinite

love for women and men, you incarnated yourself in Christ --

eternal God. You revealed your nature to us. In your infinite love,

for poor and wealthy, you laid aside your glory and walked amongst us as

one of us. In your infinite love, for every race, tribe and nation,

you brought a new world into being and taught us to live as citizens of

God's rain. To date, especially, we celebrate the incarnation that was

Nelson Mandela, who gave his life for the sake of justice and freedom,

who left the world healing practices of forgiveness, inclusivity, com

passion and integrity. We praise and thank you, God, for Nelson Mandela,

his faithfulness to your call, his example of justice, peace and

reconciliation and his capacity to endure suffering, rejection and

persecution for the sake of others. We offer this prior in the name of

our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, our men. -- we offer this prayer.

Behind me, there are 95 candles which were later at around 5am this

morning. They represent the years of Madiba's life. This is an honour to

him, to remember the years he was on earth and, more especially, the

contribution that he made to our country.

Amongst all of us paying high margin to him, is the president of the

Republic of South Africa, the first citizen, who was here. Graca and the

Mandela family, Winnie Mandela is also here. Without much ado I would

like to move on with our programme and asked a representative of the

family to come up to the stage, Chief Ngangomhlaba Matanzima, to

come and address us. TRANSLATION: He is now speaking to

the family members. He is also thanking the African

National Congress. For having taken care of him until

he passed away. Both men and women. STUDIO: he was speaking for the

Mandela family. Madiba is going home and his ideas

will continue to inspire us. We are now going to call upon one of his

longest friends, Ahmed Kathrada, who lived with him for a number of

years, both in prison, and before they went to prison. Comrade Ahmed

Kathrada was in jail with Comrade Madiba on Robben Island, and he says

the person who plays him in the Mandela movie, says Ahmed Kathrada,

as he is walking up the stage, served 2060 years of a life

sentence, and Madiba served 27 years. And he says he got a discount

of one year -- he served 26 years. Here is a man who got a discount on

a long prison sentence. He is going to tell us about Madiba and

Madiba's life. Comrade Ahmed Kathrada, please come and address

us. The last time I saw Madiba alive, is

when I visited him in hospital. I was filled with an overwhelming

mixture of sadness, emotion and pride. He tightly held my hand. It

was profoundly heartbreaking and it brought all emotions in me. And my

mind automatically flashed back to the picture of the man in the home

where I grew up. How I wished I had never had to confront what I saw. I

first met him 67 years ago and I recalled the tall, healthy

strongman, the Boxer, the prisoner who easily wielded the pick and

shovel, when we could not do so. The prisoner who vigorously exercised

every morning before we were are not. -- before we were unlocked.

What I saw in hospital was a man helpless and reduced to a shadow of

himself. And now, the inevitable has happened. He has left us to join the

a team of the ANC. I wish to address myself to Madiba, or Mandela, as he

and I called each other. He was not, I do not consider him my friend, he

was my elder brother. What do we say to you in these days? The last final

moments together before you exit the public stage. Your abundant reserves

of love, simplicity, honesty, service, humility, care, courage,

foresight, patients, tolerance, equality, justice, continually serve

as a source of enormous strength to many millions of people in South

Africa and the world. You have captured this relationship

beautifully on the occasion of the death of our father, Comrade Walter

Sisulu. We shared the joy of the living and the pain. Together we

shared ideas, forged, the commitments. We walk side-by-side

through the valley of death, nursing each other's bruises, holding each

other up when our steps faulted. Together, we savoured the taste of

freedom. Two Mrs Graca, members of the Mandela family, our love and

respect and support go out to you and we wish there was a way that

could ease your grief and pain. These last few months have been

particularly hard and we trust that in the ensuing weeks and months, you

will be able to find the rest in peace you so much deserve. We mourn

with you and wish you strength at this time of need. We may be drowned

in sorrow and grief, we must be proud and grateful but after the

long walk paved with suffering, we can salute you as a fighter for

freedom in the end. Farewell, my dear brother, my mentor, my leader.

With all the energy and determination, we pledged to join

the people of South Africa to perpetuate your ideals. When Walter

died I lost a father, and now, I have lost a brother. My life is in a

void and I do not know who to turn to. Thank you very much.

We will now call upon a member of the family, we believe is Ndaba

Mandela, to read an obituary. The man who became an icon was born in

1918. His father was a key council adviser to the Thembu Royal house.

After his father's death in 1927, the young Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

became the ward of an elder will stop it is that the Thembu Royal

Homestead that his political values were shaped. There can be no doubt

that the young man went on to bring about some of the most significant

and remarkable changes in South African history and politics. It is

through Mandela that the world cast its eyes on South Africa and took

notice of the severe and organised repression of black South Africans.

Yet it is also through Mandela about the world would learn the spirit of

endurance, the triumph of forgiveness and the beauty of

reconciliation. Indeed, the story of Nelson Mandela, so much so the story

of South Africa. Mr Mandela is survived by his wife Graca, three

daughters, 18 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Thank you very much, Ndaba. We now call upon Nandi Mandela to pay a

tribute representing the children and grandchildren of Madiba.

I stand here today and I am humbled to be the one presenting all of my

grandfather's children, grandchildren and great grand

children. Like all Africans and people around the world, we are

proud of his achievements and we want to make him proud. He was a

very strict grandfather. He made my younger cousins pick up clothes

after they had finished preparing the school. He was a disciplinarian

who prepared us to be better people in our lives. With or without him.

We shall miss you, we shall miss your stern voice when you were not

pleased with our behaviour. We shall miss your voice as you told stories

of your childhood. We shall miss your laughter. We will carry lessons

you taught us throughout our lives as we make you proud. As South

Africans, we must stop pointing fingers, but rather we should lead

by example as you did, and do something positive for South Africa.

Thank you. It is my great honour to call upon

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. As we bid farewell to this

great man, we should take consolation that his legacy will

live on for eternity. We should all count ourselves lucky to have the

opportunity to learn a lesson or two from the lice of this towering

figure. Mandela was a man of exceptional integrity. As we

celebrate his exceptional life today, it is incumbent upon us to

once again dedicate ourselves to the very ideals that this man stood for,

Justice, equality, freedom, unity, diversity and the essence of Africa.

We salute you, Mandela. May his soul rest in eternal peace. I thank you.

# row I pray we find your love and hold it in our hearts... When stars

go out each night, let this be our prayer, when shadows still the day.

# row lead us to this place. Guide us to your Grace.

We would now like to call upon President Joyce Banda.

I stand before you, to join you, the people of South Africa and the

world, to mourn the loss of a great leader, former president Nelson

Mandela. At the moment I became president of Malawi, I was

humiliated, called names and had an assassination attempt on my life. I

found myself in a situation where I had to work with those same people

who had prevented me from becoming president of my own country. I had

to forgive but I had to forgive without any effort because my Madiba

had prepared me. I learned that leadership is about falling in love

with the people you serve and the people falling in love with you.

It is about serving the people with the selflessness, sacrifice and the

need to put the common good ahead of personal interest.

I believe I am speaking for many. Tater's ways are still echoing in

our minds. -- Tata's ways. His calls to get millions of our women and men

out of poverty, deprivation and underdevelopment, his call to get

food for the hungry, to eradicate preventable diseases, to let people

find their voice and restore their dignity. He fought a good fight and

finished the race well. May his soul rest in everlasting peace.

APPLAUSE We welcome to the podium President

Jakaya Kikwete, the president of Tanzania. As he will remember,

Tanzania stands amongst those countries that we hold in highest

regard -- as you will remember. The people of Tanzania would like

you to know that you were not alone. We are with you during this

difficult period of mourning, we will be with you thereafter. They

are saying, your grief is our grief, your loss is our loss. Nelson

Mandela was our leader, our hero, our icon and our father as much as

he was yours. The people of Tanzania have lost a great friend. The people

of Tanzania have lost a great comrades in arms. -- a great comrade

in arms. President Mandela had a long association with Tanzania. We

supported each other at a time of need. It was no accident, therefore,

that after the ANC decided to take the struggle to the next level and

form the armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, after peaceful means seemed

futile, derris alarm was Madiba's first port of call in January 1962.

In order to keep the visit discreet, he did not stay in hotels.

He stayed at the home of the person who was then the Minister for

commerce and industries. He is now deceased. For his departure on a

trip, he left behind his boots. The Minister, in the hope that on his

way back he would pick up the boots, unfortunately he could not pass

through that town again and shortly after arriving back in South Africa

he was arrested and imprisoned and spent 27 years in Robben Island.

Unfortunately, the family kept the boot is -- the boots, awaiting his

return. In 1995, when Mandela was president, the pair of boots was

handed back to him. APPLAUSE

Mandela's charisma is unmatched in modern times. We will always hold

you in our prayers, you were not alone. -- you are not alone.

I would now like to call upon the president of the Republic of South

Africa, our own president, Jacob Zuma, to come and pay tribute to

Madiba. STUDIO: Here he is, President Zuma.

He is preceded by his praise singer. What is the idea of a praise singer,

that he would tell people who was here, if the ignorant people did not

know this is the man they are going to see? He praises before the leader

speaks to the people. He is actually introducing the leader to the

people. He is the person trying to draw the attention of the people.

Saying, this is a man you should listen to? That's right. He is very

emphatic, a lot of gestures? Yes. Who is he, how is he chosen? They

are looking for someone who has this skill of praising. And this man was

also the praise singer of a former King.

The bones of our ancestors are vibrating, the waves of African

oceans are evaporating. Propagating culpability is the possibilities of

flexibilities. STUDIO: This is the president of

South Africa, breaking, as he often does, into song? Business and old

political song about the oppression of the black people -- this is an

old political song. PRESIDENT ZUMA, THE CHOIR AND

CONGREGATION SINGING. -- SING. It has been a long, painful week for

us. Your people, your comrades, your relatives. Your friends. Since you

took your last breath on the 5th of December 20 13th -- 2013. When you

became critically ill last year, we were gripped with fear and anxiety.

We did not want to confront the reality of your mortality. Over the

past nine days of mourning, people have expressed their grief in

various ways. Watch truly stands out -- watch truly stands out is the

spectacular display of admiration by the thousands who descended upon the

buildings in Pretoria to spend just one moment with you as you lay in

state. As you observed the long, patient queues lining the streets to

the UN buildings - some silent, some singing, many crying. We asked

ourselves, what is it about this man that elicits this outpouring of

sincere emotions? The answer is that when people see goodness in a

person, they respond by reflecting goodness back at that person.

APPLAUSE Madiba, we will miss your smile.

Your laughter, your love and your leadership. We will cherish every

moment we spent with you. You were indeed an extraordinary human

being. You will remain our guiding light, illuminating the past as we

continue the long journey to build South Africa -- the South Africa of

your dreams. We shall not say goodbye, for you or not gone. You

will live for ever in our hearts and minds.

APPLAUSE THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

E4 WE TAKE THE SERMON -- thank you, thank you, thank you. Before we take

the sermon we would like to get one of our esteemed former presidents to

come. STUDIO: My goodness, me! That was an

extraordinary sight. He has been standing bowed as if he could hardly

walk, that is clearly not the case. Who is Mr Mandela? Where is he? How

do I see him? This man is in the placid shroud of the Lord God

Almighty. -- the placid shroud. -- blessed shroud. He followed the

commandments, love thy neighbour as you love yourself. Do unto others as

you would have them do unto you. What were our brothers the Boers

doing here? They came to South Africa, and what did they do? They

found black people here and began saying, no, you or not God's

children, we are God's children. We must keep you in the distance. And,

you know, when you go to pray, you must be by yourselves.

And when it comes to hospitals, we can't be with you in the same

hospital, you must be there, there. Schools, oh, schools. Our children

will be spoiled by mixing with the black people. No, no, no. We will

put our children here, your children there. Segregation. Segregation.

That is not God's commandment. God's commandment is love your

neighbour as you love yourself. That enable it is regardless of colour,

that neighbour is regardless of faith, that neighbour is regardless

of anything else. -- that neighbour is regardless of colour. This great

young man we worship today came and said no, no, no, no. My Boer

friends, you can't go on like this. Madiba showed us the way. Whether

you are white, black, yellow or brown, you all God's children. Come

together, work together and we will show you the way.

APPLAUSE Do unto others as you would have them do to you. God almighty,

bless him and all others like him, who have come to know the importance

of what he has brought to us all. Amen.

STUDIO: Kenneth Kaunda, the former president of Zambia.

We are moving towards the wrapping up of the programme as we invite

Bishop Z Siwa to deliver as brief sermon as possible.

The life we mourn and celebrate today, is contrary to William

Shakespeare's Mac Beth, when he says, alt brief candle. Life is but

a walking shadow. A poor player who fusses on the stage and is heard no

more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sounds and fury, signifying

nothing. This life is not brief, and its impact will be with us for many

years to come. It is life which will continue to echo on the stage of

life for many years to come. It is not a tale told by an idiot, for it

had no sound and fury, but instead, has been and will continue to lose

with dignity, meaning, integrity and focus, it is not simply

entertainment on the stage, but quality actions that led to our

transforming outcomes. We will forever salute you and long for more

of those quality actions that lead to more transformation in our time.

Nelson Mandela lived a life that sent rays of hope to those he is

leaving behind. May that continue. The best tribute we campaign today

is to strive that our lives become both recipients and transmitters of

the life of hope and vibrations of the life to others. As we bid Nelson

Rolihlahla Mandela good night, waiting for the morning of the

Resurrection, the fitting tribute will be that to strive for the

fulfilment of his dream, to the family I want to leave this image

with you. The Bishop of St George's Cathedral, Windsor, England wrote,

what is dying? A ship's sales and I stand watching until she fades on

the horizon and someone at my side says, she is gone. Gone were? Gone

from my site, that is all. She is as large as when I saw her. The

diminished size and total loss of sight is in me, not in her. She is

gone. Just at the moment when someone at my side says, she is

gone, there are others who are watching her coming and their voices

take up the glad shout, there she comes, and that is dying. Well done,

good and faithful servant. We will always cherish the life you shared

with the people of this nation. May God bless you all, in the name of

the Father, the sun and the holy spirit, amen.

STUDIO: Bishop Z Siwa of the church of South Africa. We can now hear

from Cyril Ramaphosa. Lastly, a word of thanks to the hysteria committee

and the funeral planning committee that arranged everything over the

last ten days -- the ministerial committee. I think they did a

sterling job and they need to be congratulated. We would like to say

to the people of South Africa, thank you. Thank you for giving Madiba the

best sendoff of all time and for giving him a dignified funeral and a

great memorial time during the past ten days. Thank you very much. Thank

you. STUDIO: so the lieutenant generals,

the chiefs of the different services, take their place around

the coffin. The pallbearers will carry the coffin now, senior Chief

warrant officers. They have been the bearer party of the ceremonial of

recent days. Again, interestingly, they are led

by the Master Chief warrant Officer, who fought with MK, the military

wing of the ANC. The coffin still draped in the South African flag

now. It will be put back on the gun carriage, and gun salutes will be

taken up the hill to the site where Nelson Mandela is to be buried. The

family are following Nelson Mandela's grandson with the

headband. They are walking up the hill to this place, the burial site.

Other members of the family are buried. Archbishop Tutu, the former

Archbishop of Cape Town. Jesse Jackson there, the civil rights

leader from the United States, a great friend of Nelson Mandela. He

has been on marches and speaking for Nelson Mandela. The tall figure

there who was at the ceremonies at the airport yesterday as well. The

military responsible for moving the coffin. It is called a tractor. It

gives tractor is a good name. Behind it it draws the gun carriage.

The coffin being Braun down the hill to the grave site, where members of

the family and senior distinguished foreign visitors will gather for

this part of the funeral and his actual burial, in the ground he

wanted to be buried in, on his own land in Qunu.

They took a miniature flag from the top of the coffin, handed over to

the Chief of staff, who will hand it to the president, a presentation to

the next of kin. Orders, decorations and medals are meant to be included

there. In the background there, I think that is the president just

getting up in the little marquee which has been set up there,

receiving those. On the right-hand seat therein the

marquee with the headband, Mandla Mandela, the senior member of the

family now, grandson of Nelson Mandela.

We will remember Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. To the family and friends

of our late commander in chief, may God soothe your grief, may God

sanctify your memories. May the grace of the Lord be sufficient, now

and whenever the longing becomes on bearable. -- unbearable. Rest in

peace. Yours was truly a long walk to Freedom. And now you have

achieved the ultimate freedom in the bosom of your maker, God Almighty.

Amen. Now helicopters with the South

African flag over the grave site. Much as he would have had at the

time of his inauguration. Jets from the South African Air Force coming

in from Pretoria here. Streaming smoke as they come across Qunu.

A final salute to the Commander in chief and former president of South

Africa. The sound of a 21 round salute at the same time as the fly

past. The Last Post followed by reveille.

The military pallbearers, the senior officers will now salute and

withdraw. This has become a very private moment. I think the cameras

of the South African broadcasting Corporation, which we have been

using, have themselves withdrawn from the grave site and left this as

a private moment for the family. And the remainder of the funeral did

indeed stay private, concluding with a committal service, a vote of

thanks and a benediction. And so ends an extraordinary powerful

sendoff for a great man. Everyone from statesman to people watching in

the crowd, has tried to find the words to describe their feelings for

Nelson Mandela, their affection for his warmth and sparkle, their

admiration for his stoicism, their pride in his courage and

steadfastness. And their determination not to let his vision

died. His is a story which will take its place among the great legends of

our times, a story so extraordinary, that in 100 years, and 100 years

more, people will still say, what a man. From Pretoria, goodbye.

Our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela has departed.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, amen.