Goodbye to an icon: Nelson Mandela's coffin is slowly lowered into the ground in the hills close to where he grew up at the small, private burial today in Qunu as military salute and mourners watch the poignant moment
Poignant: Nelson Mandela's coffin was carried to his grave and then the flag of the country he loved so ardently was removed and handed to his widow Graca Machel''
Last steps: After being carefully taken from his gun carriage, Mandela's coffin was wheeled the final few yards before being placed above his final resting place''
Nelson Mandela has today been buried in the remote village where the anti-apartheid icon grew up after a four-hour state funeral attended by thousands of mourners.South Africa's first black president died in his Johannesburg home on December 5 at the age of 95 after a long battle with illness, and he was laid to rest in his grave in Qunu in Eastern Cape province after ten days of mourning in his beloved country.
Troops lined the route up to the hillside where he was buried as Mandela was carried on a gun carriage to a plot on his family’s estate.
As his body was placed on the grave the South African flag on the coffin was removed and handed to Mandela's widow Graca Machel, who was comforted by his ex-wife Winnie Mandela.
A fly-past then followed accompanied by a 21-gun salute and a solitary trumpeter played the Last Post while his body was lowered into the ground.
As he was buried armed forces Chaplain General Monwabisi Jamangile said: 'Yours was truly a long walk to freedom, and now you have achieved the ultimate freedom, in the bosom of your maker.'
His funeral was also marked by his Xhosa tribe whose elders traditionally slaughter an ox to accompany the deceased's spirit after burial, while guests are asked to drink its blood from a communal bowl.
But it is understood dignitaries such as Prince Charles were likely to be offered the animal's meat to eat instead after it was cooked on an open fire.
Mandela's family also talked to him until he was lowered into the earth and will have said 'Madiba, we are now burying you,' a tradition followed so the souls of the dead know where they are going in the afterlife.
United in grief: Mandela's widow Graca Michel (centre) and his ex-wife Winnie Mandela (left) tearfully comforted one another as they sat next to president Jacob Zuma and Mandela's grandson Mandla as he was laid to rest'
Royal meeting: Mtoto wa Malkia atumwa kumuwakilisha Mama yake>The Prince of Wales meets the King of the Xhosa tribe Zwelonke Sigcau, head of Mandela's tribe, at the burial in Quno today. Elders will have slaughtered an ox and drank its blood to ensure Mandela's soul is accompanied after burial although dignitaries such as Prince Charles will have been offered the meat'
A nation in mourning: Three helicopters carrying South African flags fly over the burial site today as a much smaller crowd of mourners watched the great statesman laid to rest after ten days of official mourning''
Air force tribute: A squadron of South African jets flew across the skies above the Eastern Cape hills where Mandela spent his formative years''
Ceremonial: The fly-past was accompanied by a 21-gun salute and a solitary trumpeter played the Last Post while his body was lowered into the ground'
Burial: The military carry Mandela's body along the pathway to the area where South Africa's beloved son's burial site in Qunu''
Procession: After the funeral South Africa's military took over and followed Mandela's coffin up the hill to his family plot where he was buried''
Funeral procession: After the four hour memorial service Mandela's body on a gun carriage led by troops and followed by his family in cars''
SO SAD''YANI HAPA NATOKWAJE NA MACHOZI''
His casket, transported to the tent on a gun carriage and draped in the national flag, rested on a carpet of cow skins below a lectern where speakers delivered eulogies.
'A great tree has fallen, he is now going home to rest with his forefathers,' said Chief Ngangomhlaba Matanzima, a representative of Mandela's family.
Nandi Mandela said her grandfather went barefoot to school in Qunu when he was boy and eventually became president and a figure of global import.
'It is to each of us to achieve anything you want in life,' she said, recalling kind gestures by Mandela 'that made all those around him also want to do good.'
In the Xhosa language, she referred to her grandfather by his clan name: 'Go well, Madiba. go well to the land of our ancestors, you have run your race.'
Ahmed Kathrada, an anti-apartheid activist who was jailed on Robben Island with Mandela, remembered his old friend's 'abundant reserves' of love, patience and tolerance. He said it was painful when he saw Mandela for the last time, months ago in his hospital bed.
'He tightly held my hand, it was profoundly heartbreaking,' Kathrada said, his voice breaking at times. 'How I wish I never had to confront what I saw. I first met him 67 years ago and I recall the tall, healthy strong man, the boxer, the prisoner who easily wielded the pick and shovel when we couldn't do so.'
Arm in arm: Mandela's second wife Winnie Madikizela Mandela (far right) and the statesman's widow Graca Machel (centre) walk together as he is about to be buried''
Civil rights campaigner: American Jesse Jackson, a close friend of Mandela's meets Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, right, and Lindiwe Sisulu, left, at the burial''
Religious movement: Jamani huyu nae sialisema hajaaikwa kwa hiyo haendi ? mbuta nanga!! Archbishop Desmond Tutu, centre, is surrounded by clergymen at his Christian burial after his state funeral was dominated by political eulogies''
Representing the UK: Prince Charles stands alongside Judith Macgregor, British High Commissioner in South Africa as they watch Mandela finally laid to rest''
Reading an obituary, Mr Mandela's grandson Ndaba Mandela said the former leader became 'one of the world's greatest icons'.
'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,' he said.
'Yet it was also through Mandela that the world would learn the spirit of endurance, the triumph of forgiveness and the beauty of reconciliation.'
Some mourners wiped away tears as Kathrada spoke, his voice trembling with emotion.
Mandela's widow, Grace Machel, and his second wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, were dressed in black and sat on either side of South African President Jacob Zuma.
Guests included veterans of the military wing of the African National Congress, the liberation movement that became the dominant political force after the end of apartheid, as well as U.S. Ambassador Patrick Gaspard and other foreign envoys.
More than an hour into the service, people were still filling empty seats in parts of the marquee. Soldiers moved in to occupy some chairs.
The funeral included traditions of Mandela's Thembu clan, as well as a 21-gun salute, brass band and fly over by jets.
Elders were in traditional funeral attire out of respect for Mandela and his family sang old struggle songs as they lined the road to greet the funeral cortege.
The Xhosa people to whom Mandela belonged have a number of hallowed traditions surrounding death - including the ritual slaughter of an ox.
Because the former president died far from his birthplace, his body had to be escorted home so he could be buried near to where he was born.
The Xhosa believe that in order to guide the souls of the dead to their final resting places, their bodies should be constantly talked to so that they know where they are going.
When Mandela was about to be buried, his family will have said to him, 'Madiba, we are now burying you,' according to religious expert Nokuzola Mndende.
Gathered to remember Madiba: South Africa's president Jacob Zuma (2nd left), Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Mandela (left), and the widow of Mandela, Graca Machel (3rd left), sit by his coffin''
Embrace: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who initially claimed he had not been invited to the funeral, hugs former president Thabo Mbeki''
Respect: Candles are lit under a portrait of Nelson Mandela before his funeral. One for every year of his life''
Dignitaries: Prince Charles, right, arrives for the state funeral on Sunday and is greeted by a fellow mourner who welcomed him to the Quno service''
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| Mourners: US talk show host Oprah Winfrey, centre, her husband Stedman Graham, left, and English businessman Richard Branson, right, watching the state funeral service'' |
Representing Britain: The Queen sent the Prince of Wales, pictured here speaking to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a politician and former wife of Jacob Zuma''
Star: British actor Idris Elba, who played Mandela in Long Walk To Freedom, also attended the state funeral - the first in South Africa's democratic history''
Eulogy: South African President Jacob Zuma told the assembled mourners that 'Madiba' was 'a fountain of wisdom, a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope' for those fighting oppression in his country and around the world''
Reading an obituary, Mr Mandela's grandson Ndaba Mandela said the former leader became 'one of the world's greatest icons'.
'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,' he said.
'Yet it was also through Mandela that the world would learn the spirit of endurance, the triumph of forgiveness and the beauty of reconciliation.'
Some mourners wiped away tears as Kathrada spoke, his voice trembling with emotion.
Mandela's widow, Grace Machel, and his second wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, were dressed in black and sat on either side of South African President Jacob Zuma.
Guests included veterans of the military wing of the African National Congress, the liberation movement that became the dominant political force after the end of apartheid, as well as U.S. Ambassador Patrick Gaspard and other foreign envoys.
More than an hour into the service, people were still filling empty seats in parts of the marquee. Soldiers moved in to occupy some chairs.
Loss of an icon: A mourner weeps as he watches the funeral service for former South African President Nelson Mandela on a large screen television in Cape Town''
Hard to take: Mourners console each other as they watch a broadcast of the state funeral of former South African President Nelson Mandela, at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg''
Hero: An ANC member sobs in Johannesburg this morning as the world said its final goodbye to 'Madiba' on the tenth day of mourning in South Africa''
Celebration of life: Men in tribal Zulu warrior dress perform ritual dances on the area overlooking the burial ceremony''
Heroic: Warriors pay a personal tribute to the Nobel Peace Prize winner and revered icon of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa who died on December 5 at the age of 95''
The funeral included traditions of Mandela's Thembu clan, as well as a 21-gun salute, brass band and fly over by jets.
Elders were in traditional funeral attire out of respect for Mandela and his family sang old struggle songs as they lined the road to greet the funeral cortege.
The Xhosa people to whom Mandela belonged have a number of hallowed traditions surrounding death - including the ritual slaughter of an ox.
Because the former president died far from his birthplace, his body had to be escorted home so he could be buried near to where he was born.
The Xhosa believe that in order to guide the souls of the dead to their final resting places, their bodies should be constantly talked to so that they know where they are going.
When Mandela was about to be buried, his family will have said to him, 'Madiba, we are now burying you,' according to religious expert Nokuzola Mndende.
Final journey: The coffin carrying former South African President Nelson Mandela is escorted into his state funeral service in Qunu this morning''
Eulogy: Mandela's granddaughter Nand takes to the podium to pay her tributes to the leader''
Paying their final respects: Nelson Mandela's grandsons Ndaba (left) and Mandla Mandela (centre) look at the coffin as they attend the funeral ceremony of the South African former president today''
Procession: Military officers accompany the coffin into the funeral as others stand to attention'
Display: The coffin of former South African President Nelson Mandela is seen draped in a South African national flag during his funeral in his ancestral village of Qunu''
State funeral: Mandela's coffin is carried into the white tent for the service by senior military figures and an Army chaplain''
Support: African National Congress supporters chant before the start of the funeral, which began with the national anthem of Mandela's beloved country''
Dignitaries: Anti-apartheid activist and friend Ahmed Kathrada, right, with former South Africa president Thabo Mbeki speak before the service''
In grief: Mandela's widow Graca Machel, arrived holding hands with Winnie and sat together for the service that lasted around four hours''
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| SO SAD' MANDELA'S FORMER WIFE WINNIE 'POLE SANA MY DEAR ' TUPO PAMOJA 'SASA NI KUMUOMBEA TU '' |
Traditional: Mandla Mandela right, grandson of former South African president Nelson Mandela, during his grandfather's funeral wearing a tribal head piece''
TUMECHOTA NA KUMIMINA KUTOKA DM''
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