Coffin containing Mandela's body will travel through Pretoria.
For three days next week, the remains of South African leader Nelson Mandela will be in the city; the wake will be restricted to accredited individuals; before that, on the 10th, a religious service in memory of the former president will take place at FNB Stadium in the Soweto neighborhood of Johannesburg.
World Opera - The coffin containing the body of former South African President Nelson Mandela will travel through the streets of South Africa's capital, Pretoria, next week, authorities announced on Saturday (December 7). The procession will take place between December 11 and 13, after which the remains will lie in state at the South African government headquarters.
Access to the wake, however, will be controlled. "We will encourage citizens to go out into the streets as (the coffin) passes through the streets of Pretoria towards the Union Buildings," said Néon Nomodu, director of the Executive Office of Communications and Information (GCIS). The coffin's route will be announced each morning.
Accreditation will be required to attend the ceremony at the government building. Those authorized will arrive at the location on an official bus. Prior to that, on the 10th, a religious service in memory of the former president will take place at FNB Stadium (formerly known as Soccer City) in the Soweto district of Johannesburg.
Mandela's state funeral will be held on the 15th in Qunu, in the southeast of the country, the city where he lived during his childhood. In his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela described Qunu as the place where he spent the happiest moments of his childhood.
The following week has been declared a "national week of mourning" by the South African government, beginning on Sunday (8) with "a national day of prayer and reflection".
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has confirmed her attendance at the funeral. She is expected to arrive in South Africa on December 14th.
(*) With Efe