JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – World leaders and joyous, singing South Africans gathered Tuesday to honour Nelson Mandela at a Soweto soccer stadium that was half full, amid cold, driving rain.
The crowds twice booed South African President Jacob Zuma, who was to give the keynote address at the service, which was an hour late. It was supposed to start at 11 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), but started just after noon (5 a.m. ET).
Crowds converged on FNB Stadium in Soweto, the Johannesburg township that was a stronghold of support for the anti-apartheid struggle that Mandela embodied as a prisoner of white rule for 27 years and then during a peril-fraught transition to the all-race elections that made him president.
Steady rain kept many people away. Shortly before the start of the ceremony, the 95,000-capacity stadium was about 50 per cent full. The ceremony began with the singing of the national anthem.
The mood, though, was celebratory. A dazzling mix of royalty, statesmen and celebrities was in attendance.
Thabo Mbeki, the former South African president who succeeded Mandela, got a rousing cheer as he entered the stands. French President Francois Hollande and his predecessor and political rival, Nicolas Sarkozy, arrived together. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon waved and bowed to spectators who sang praise for Mandela, seen by many South Africans as the father of the nation.
Mandela died Dec. 5 in his Johannesburg home at the age of 95.
Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, was at the stadium. So were actress Charlize Theron and singer Bono.
Tuesday was the 20th anniversary of the day when Mandela and South Africa’s last apartheid-era president, F.W. de Klerk, received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to bring peace to their country.
Mandela said in his acceptance speech at the time: “We live with the hope that as she battles to remake herself, South Africa will be like a microcosm of the new world that is striving to be born.”
People blew on vuvuzelas, the plastic horn that was widely used during the World Cup soccer tournament in 2010, and sang songs from the era of the anti-apartheid struggle decades ago.
The 95,000-capacity soccer venue was also the spot where Mandela made his last public appearance at the closing ceremony of the World Cup. After the memorial, his body will lie in state for three days at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, once the seat of white power, before burial Sunday in his rural childhood village of Qunu in Eastern Cape Province.
Obama urges world to act on Mandela’s legacy
At the memorial, President Barack Obama — who landed in South Africa early Tuesday — said Mandela earned his place in history through struggle, shrewdness, persistence and faith. He compared the former South African president to Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln.
He praised Mandela as the last great liberator of the 20th century, urging the world to carry on his legacy by fighting inequality, poverty and discrimination.
“For nothing he achieved was inevitable,” Obama said. “In the arc of his life, we see a man who earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness, persistence and faith. He tells us what’s possible not just in the pages of dusty history books, but in our own lives as well.”
At the memorial service, Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro, which came during a ceremony that’s focused on Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation.
Eulogies were also to be delivered by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao and Castro, the leaders of Brazil, Namibia and India, as well as tributes from Mandela’s grandchildren. Zuma was to give the keynote address.
Selection of quotes from the speeches at the memorial service
Compiled by The Associated Press
Mandela family friend Andrew Mlangeni said in his opening remarks Mandela “created hope where there was none.” “He touched my heart, my soul, my life and those of the millions of South Africans,” he added.
“To him, life was all about service to others,” said family member Gen. Thanduxolo Mandela. “He mingled with kings, queens and presidents … At the core, he was a man of the people.”
“Mr. Mandela was more than one of the greatest pillars of our time,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his speech at the service. “He was one of our greatest teachers. He taught by example. He sacrificed so much … for freedom and equality, for democracy and justice.”
“He also was a source of inspiration for similar struggles in Brazil and across South America,” Brazilian President President Dilma Rousseff said through a translator. “His fight reached way beyond his nation’s border and inspired young men and women to fight for independence and social justice.”
“Mr. Mandela was the pride of the African people,” Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao said through a translator. “He has dedicated his entire life to the development and progress of the African content.”
“His life was just an extraordinary journey, from beginning to end, with such an effect, both on his own country, and on the rest of the world,” former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said before the service. “So, enjoy today, enjoy and celebrate what he achieved. We may not see his like again.”
“I think Madiba would like us to celebrate and not be sad, to have smiles on our faces,” said Muhammad Choonara, a 24-year-old university student, before the memorial. Madiba is Mandela’s clan name that most South African use as an endearment when speaking about the former president.
“Mandela was a very humble man and he gave himself to the world. He sacrificed time with his family for us and for me. It is a privilege to be here, it is a humbling experience,” said Dipolelo Moshe, 35, who works for a marketing company. She had a South African flag draped over her shoulders and was carrying a big photo of Mandela as she stood in line at the stadium.
“I would not have the life I have today if it was not for him. I’m here to show my gratitude to Madiba. He was jailed so we could have our freedom,” said Matlhogonolo Mothoagae, 24, a marketing student, as he lined up to enter the stadium.
-Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell, Alan Clendenning and Julie Pace, and Toronto staff