South Africans today mark the first anniversary of the death of Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid hero, who died last year at the age of 95.
Official ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the former South African president will include an interfaith prayer service early on Friday, followed by a wreath-laying commemoration by veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle, as well as a cricket match.
Bells, hooters, and traditional horns called vuvuzelas, will be sounded for three minutes and seven seconds, followed by three minutes of silence, combined to equal a six-minute and seven-second ceremony designed to symbolise Mandela’s 67 years of public service.
In a statement to mark the anniversary, Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, called on South Africans to imitate Mandela’s example.
“Our obligation to Madiba is to continue to build the society he envisaged, to follow his example. A society founded on human rights, in which all can share in the rich bounty God bestowed on our country. In which all can live in dignity, together. A society of better tomorrows for all,” Tutu said.
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