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| Body of Nelson Mandela Lies in State in Pretoria | Body of Nelson Mandela Lies in State in Pretoria |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| PRETORIA, South Africa — With hundreds of dignitaries filing past — and thousands of ordinary South Africans expected to follow — the body of Nelson Mandela was lying in state on Wednesday below the sweeping facade of the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the seat of official power where he was sworn in 19 years ago as South Africa’s first black president. | |
| The body is to lie in state for three days before his funeral on Sunday, the latest solemn moment in the nation’s mourning for its former president and towering moral authority. | |
| A day after tens of thousands of South Africans joined world leaders including President Obama at a sometimes rambunctious national memorial ceremony in Soweto, the mood was more muted, a moment when the reality of Mr. Mandela’s death finally turned from a notion to a reality, from celebration of his life to grief at his death. | |
| President Jacob G. Zuma was among the first mourners to view the coffin along with family members including Mr. Mandela’s widow, Graça Machel, and his former wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who dabbed at their eyes with white handkerchiefs. President Robert G. Mugabe of Zimbabwe bowed as he passed the coffin and the white-uniformed guards at each end of it. | |
| Many of those viewing the coffin, such as F.W. de Klerk, the country’s last white president, and former President Thabo Mbeki, had been on the podium during Tuesday’s memorial in Soweto. Live television coverage showed celebrities such as the musician Bono filing past. | |
| Mr. Mandela died on Thursday at age 95. On Tuesday, he was celebrated by Mr. Obama as the last great liberator of the 20th century. | Mr. Mandela died on Thursday at age 95. On Tuesday, he was celebrated by Mr. Obama as the last great liberator of the 20th century. |
| On the esplanade of the pale stone Union Buildings, a military honor guard formed up as the coffin arrived under bright skies — a marked contrast with the rain that drenched Tuesday’s ceremony in Soweto. Mandla Mandela, Mr. Mandela’s grandson, led family mourners as a military band played the national anthem, Nkosi Sikelele Afrika, or God Bless Africa. | On the esplanade of the pale stone Union Buildings, a military honor guard formed up as the coffin arrived under bright skies — a marked contrast with the rain that drenched Tuesday’s ceremony in Soweto. Mandla Mandela, Mr. Mandela’s grandson, led family mourners as a military band played the national anthem, Nkosi Sikelele Afrika, or God Bless Africa. |
| The coffin is to be transported for three successive days from a military mortuary to the Union Buildings before the body is flown to the Eastern Cape for the state funeral in Mr. Mandela’s childhood home of Qunu. | The coffin is to be transported for three successive days from a military mortuary to the Union Buildings before the body is flown to the Eastern Cape for the state funeral in Mr. Mandela’s childhood home of Qunu. |
| On its way to the Union Buildings, the black hearse carrying the coffin past knots of well-wishers on the streets of Pretoria was escorted by a phalanx of police motorcycle outriders. | On its way to the Union Buildings, the black hearse carrying the coffin past knots of well-wishers on the streets of Pretoria was escorted by a phalanx of police motorcycle outriders. |
| The authorities had urged South Africans to form a “people’s” honor guard along the route of the cortege. | The authorities had urged South Africans to form a “people’s” honor guard along the route of the cortege. |
| For the public, the lying-in-state is to be tightly controlled, with mourners shuttled in from assembly points. Many streets in the capital were closed to normal traffic as the cortege passed by. Some people bowed their heads. Others raised their fists in the militant salute Mr. Mandela favored. Women gathered to sing his praises. | For the public, the lying-in-state is to be tightly controlled, with mourners shuttled in from assembly points. Many streets in the capital were closed to normal traffic as the cortege passed by. Some people bowed their heads. Others raised their fists in the militant salute Mr. Mandela favored. Women gathered to sing his praises. |
| As has often been the case in the days since Mr. Mandela died, the crowd awaiting the cortege was festive and joyous, singing and waving small South African flags. | As has often been the case in the days since Mr. Mandela died, the crowd awaiting the cortege was festive and joyous, singing and waving small South African flags. |
| Then the hearse — a black Mercedes van with glass side panels — drove by, the coffin clearly visible. It was as though the procession drew the air along with it, leaving behind silence and a sense of finality. | Then the hearse — a black Mercedes van with glass side panels — drove by, the coffin clearly visible. It was as though the procession drew the air along with it, leaving behind silence and a sense of finality. |
| “I think it sunk in that he was really gone when you saw the casket inside,” said Patricia Ramahanelo, 29, who works in a government records office here. “You think he’s there but immediately when you see the coffin it’s done. He’s gone. He’s no more.” | “I think it sunk in that he was really gone when you saw the casket inside,” said Patricia Ramahanelo, 29, who works in a government records office here. “You think he’s there but immediately when you see the coffin it’s done. He’s gone. He’s no more.” |
| Ms. Ramahanelo said she was not sure she could bring herself to view the body. “I never saw him alive. I’m not sure I can see him for the first time...” her words trailing off. | Ms. Ramahanelo said she was not sure she could bring herself to view the body. “I never saw him alive. I’m not sure I can see him for the first time...” her words trailing off. |
| “I hope we live the legacy that he left for us,” said Zelda Woodgate, 43, who works for the Labor Department. “It’s sad but he’s gone to rest.” | “I hope we live the legacy that he left for us,” said Zelda Woodgate, 43, who works for the Labor Department. “It’s sad but he’s gone to rest.” |
| Ayanda Malinga credited Mr. Mandela with the changes in South Africa that enabled her to secure a job at a pharmaceutical company and the freedom to choose where she lives — a right denied under apartheid. “I would be restricted where I wanted to go,” said Ms. Malinga, 28. “I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t sacrificed for us.” | Ayanda Malinga credited Mr. Mandela with the changes in South Africa that enabled her to secure a job at a pharmaceutical company and the freedom to choose where she lives — a right denied under apartheid. “I would be restricted where I wanted to go,” said Ms. Malinga, 28. “I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t sacrificed for us.” |
| Along the route of the cortege, some conversations reflected uncertainty about the future, particularly after the booing of President Jacob G. Zuma at Tuesday’s memorial service in Soweto. Several said the memorial was not the place for such a display but none disputed the sentiment. | Along the route of the cortege, some conversations reflected uncertainty about the future, particularly after the booing of President Jacob G. Zuma at Tuesday’s memorial service in Soweto. Several said the memorial was not the place for such a display but none disputed the sentiment. |
| In death, Mr. Mandela seems to loom ever larger, his flaws sanded away in the many tributes, his image burnished for posterity, his successors smaller in comparison. | In death, Mr. Mandela seems to loom ever larger, his flaws sanded away in the many tributes, his image burnished for posterity, his successors smaller in comparison. |
| A tall young woman, buoyant before the cortege passed, turned suddenly somber. “How can I say? It’s a most painful thing,” she said, shaking her head. “I know he was old, but this country without him? We may be lost.” | A tall young woman, buoyant before the cortege passed, turned suddenly somber. “How can I say? It’s a most painful thing,” she said, shaking her head. “I know he was old, but this country without him? We may be lost.” |
| The Union Buildings lie on the highest point of the hills above Pretoria. The edifice, completed in 1913, was the central administrative headquarters of the Union of South Africa, the forerunner of the Republic of South Africa created in 1961. | The Union Buildings lie on the highest point of the hills above Pretoria. The edifice, completed in 1913, was the central administrative headquarters of the Union of South Africa, the forerunner of the Republic of South Africa created in 1961. |
| The building, with its sweeping, winged facade dominating the leafy bowl of the capital below, has been the seat of power since it was built, an emblem of white authority until the country’s first democratic elections brought Mr. Mandela to power. But the building has also been the target of protests, most notably in 1956 when thousands of women converged on it in a demonstration against the pass laws — a cornerstone of apartheid. | The building, with its sweeping, winged facade dominating the leafy bowl of the capital below, has been the seat of power since it was built, an emblem of white authority until the country’s first democratic elections brought Mr. Mandela to power. But the building has also been the target of protests, most notably in 1956 when thousands of women converged on it in a demonstration against the pass laws — a cornerstone of apartheid. |
| The day was one of many reminiscences freighted with sadness. Speaking on the BBC from the Union Buildings, George Bizos, a close friend and lawyer, recalled with a choking voice that Mr. Mandela’s last words to him as the former president weakened this year had been to tell Mr. Bizos not to forget his jacket after a lunch visit. | The day was one of many reminiscences freighted with sadness. Speaking on the BBC from the Union Buildings, George Bizos, a close friend and lawyer, recalled with a choking voice that Mr. Mandela’s last words to him as the former president weakened this year had been to tell Mr. Bizos not to forget his jacket after a lunch visit. |
Lydia Polgreen and Nicholas Kulish reported from Pretoria, South Africa, and Alan Cowell from London. | Lydia Polgreen and Nicholas Kulish reported from Pretoria, South Africa, and Alan Cowell from London. |