REPORTING THE PASSING AWAY OF NELSON MANDELA - THE WORLD'S FREEDOM ICON

(This picture of Nelson Mandela at the Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu)

By Subry Govender In the early hours of Friday, December 6 2013, in fact it was about 2:30am, I received a call on my cell phone. I woke up sharply and answered: "Hello". "It's Daniel, Subry, where are you?". It was the editor of the African service of Radio Deutsche Welle, the Voice of Germany, calling from Bonn in Germany. I was away in the Drakensberg, on the last day of our week at Fairways at the Drakensberg Gardens Resort. "Subry, please be ready within 30 minutes. We will do a Q and A about the passing of Nelson Mandela and what are the plans for his funeral," said Daniel. I was taken aback because I had not listened to the news on Thursday night and did not know about the latest developments. "Okay Daniel. No problem." I did not tell him that I was away from station. I ran to the TV and quickly switched on SABC 3 and thereafter E News and also Sky News. The TV stations were broadcasting live reports from Johannesburg about the passing away of Mandela at ten to nine on Thursday night, that he was surrounded by his close family members at the time he left us for the world beyond, and about President Jacob Zuma announcing his death on the country's national SABC TV stations. Some of the TV stations had already started broadcasting Mandela's life - his early days in Qunu, his student days at Fort Hare University, his flight from the Transkei to Johannesburg to escape an arranged marriage, his early work as a security guard at a mine in Johannesburg, his marriage to his first wife, Evelyn, his second marriage to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, his involvement in the struggles as a lawyer, and the list goes on. At about 3:30am Daniel calls me again and we do a three-minute interview about the passing away of Mandela and the plans for his funeral. Two hours later, my wife, Thyna, and I, are on the road, driving back to our home(base) in Durban. It took us nearly three hours because of the heavy mist and the winding road from the Drakensberg Gardens to the N3 in Howick. At the start of our holiday, my wife and I agreed to visit my 92-year-old uncle, Ruthinsamy Isaac Govender, at his home in Pietermaritzburg on our way back. But today, in the early hours of Friday, December 6 2013, I was racing back home to prepare for the coverage of the memorial services for Mandela and, therefore, raced past Pietermaritzburg without making a call on my uncle. When I reached home at about 9am, the DW Africa Desk in Bonn telephoned me and requested that I should go out and speak to the people to get their immediate reactions.

(INGRID STEWART) I telephoned some of the contacts, made arrangements to speak to my former journalist colleague, Ingrid Stewart, who was now a lawyer. She was distraught and became emotional that Mandela was no longer with us. "Ingrid, I want to talk about Mandela's passing to you for Radio Deutsche Welle." "No problem Subry, come straight away," she said. She occupied a flat in Bellamont Road in Umdloti Beach and I was there within minutes. When she came out to receive me, she was emotional and shed a tear or two. "You know Subry, Madiba visited our home in Johannesburg in the early 1990s and, therefore, I feel emotional," she said. She then went onto relate what happened when Mandela knocked on the door. He had come to see veteran struggle activist, Helen Joseph, who was staying with Ingrid at that time. "My son, Ricky, was a little boy and when he saw Madiba, he asked: 'What are you doing here?'. "Then Madiba asked: 'And little boy where do you think I should be'. "My son then took hold of Madiba's hand and took him into the lounge and pointed to the TV screen: 'There, you should be there'. Madiba was pleasantly surprised and he lifted Ricky and gave him a hug. "You know Ricky had seen Madiba on TV and in his innocent mind, Madiba should be on TV. "That was our encounter with Madiba." I quickly interviewed Ingrid and then spoke to three of the workers in the complex. Thereafter, I raced towards Durban and stopped at a filling station. Here I knew some of the workers and spoke to them about Mandela's passing. They had already heard about it on radio and television and they were more than willing to give me their views. I also spoke to some customers.

(One of the customers at the filling station)

(One of the petrol attendants who expressed his sadness at the passing away of Madiba) I rushed back to base, edited the sound clips and sent them to the Africa desk in Bonn. "Subry, we will use the sound clips separately and use one of your Mandela packages that you did when Mandela's was released," said Abu-Bakarr, one of the producers. Later that afternoon, I got another call from Daniel who advised me to cover the memorial services in Durban and then make arrangements for me travel to Johannesburg. "Okay, Daniel. No problem."

(Some people attending one of the first memorial services at the Durban City Hall)

(Some people attending a memorial service in Durban) That same afternoon, I attended a memorial service that was held by the ANC in the Durban region at the City Hall. Here, I met some former activist friends and also the former Mayor of Durban, Obed Mlaba. The people, dressed in ANC colours and wearing Mandela T-shirts, were clearly overcome by the passing of Mandela. I spoke to some of them and collected as many interviews and atmosphere sound as possible and took pictures. While I was leaving, I signed a book set aside for people to express their gratitude to Mandela. Over the weekend, I tried to attend and observe as many memorial services as possible. One of the services that really appealed to me was one held by the Divine Life Society of South Africa at their headquarters in La Mercy, north of Durban. I did not have the chance to be there but some of the people who told me: "Sadha (that's my traditional name) uncle you missed one of the most blessed services," said Ms Selvie Govender, a niece of my wife. In between all the rushing around, I made arrangements to travel to Johannesburg to cover the memorial services. I stayed at my son's place in Weldervreeden Park, north of Randburg.

(Boniso Sibiya) I arrived in Johannesburg on Monday night and early on Tuesday, I raced to the OR Tambo International Airport to received Daniel Pelz, who left Bonn the previous night to come to South Africa to also cover the Mandela memorials and funeral. I waited for nearly three hours and when he finally arrived, cleared customs and collected his baggage, we rushed to cover the official memorial service at the FNB stadium in Johannesburg. But with the heavy rains, traffic closures and without accreditation, it became a nightmare for us. To ease our way, I put on my ANC accreditation card that I had collected when I travelled to Manguang in December last year to cover the ANC national conference. I must say no one questioned our credibility when we said we were journalists working for Radio Deutsche Welle. We monitored the proceedings, warts and all, and spoke to people about their feelings about what Mandela meant to them.

(Janet Faulkel and her friend at the official memorial service in Johannesburg) "I am mourning with the rest of the world," said Janet Faulkel, one of the people who braved the rainy weather to attend the memorial service. She was there with a friend. "Freedom. He's given people freedom. For me it's about the children. The legacy he's left our children and what they are going to do with this country for the future. That's what it means to me," said Ms Faulkel, who had some German family connections. A 22-year-old young man, Boniso Sibiya, was sitting there all alone. I asked him why he was attending the service and was he not put off by the pouring rain. "He give us freedom," said the young man. "All people are free today because of him. With the white people and black people, we must work together. Nelson Mandela was good enough for everyone."

(Alicia Koekemoer and Kimisha Benjamin) A young woman who was still in primary school when Nelson Mandela was released from prison on February 11 1990, Alicia Koekemoer, was also among the thousands. Coming from a white Afrikaans background, Koekemoer, said what Mandela had done for South Africa and the world, no other leader could come anywhere near him. "I want say thank you to him for what he had done for South Africa. I think me and my friend represent that a lot because if it was not for Madiba me and her would not have been friends today. "He has made South Africa one so that black, white, Indian, coloured - all could be as one. You don't have to be apart from each other. "I just want to say thank you for that." Her friend was 24-year-old Kimisha Benjamin, formerly from Durban. Benjamin told me that Mandela would never be forgotten because he contributed so much to bring about unity and peace in the country. "He gave us the life that we have," said Benjamin. "If it was not for Tata we wouldn't have had the education we have, we wouldn't have the friends we have and we wouldn't have the life we have." She added: "South Africa today is more united than we have been in a long time and I think it will last because Tata really brought us together. I will definitely miss him, there's definitely a positive future for South Africa. He definitely left an amazing legacy for South Africa and a lot of values and principles for us to live by."

(Margaret Sishi) Another young lady, Margaret Sishi, said she could very well stayed at home and watched the proceedings on television. But she wanted to be with the people to share the life of Mandela. She was there to honour Mandela: "our father, our grand-father, and our saviour". "I'm here to pay my last tribute to our father," said Ms Sishi, "for me I thought I must be here with the people to honour our father for what he had done for us". "He fought for us, we are free today, we have free education because of him. So for me I felt it was right for me to come to the stadium to gather with people and honour our father." What did she admire about Mandela? "The humbleness, the way he was living for people and I wish our leaders will continue to carry his legacy and us as people we owe it to him to do that. "He was able to lead people and bring them together, so we are feeling his spirit and I think it's a good thing." After interviewing the people, we raced to go to a hotel or restuarant nearby but the rains were pelting and literally hampering our search. We pulled off a side road in of the suburbs near the Wanderers Cricket Stadium and to our relief we saw a church. "Why don't we speak to the people here and ask them whether they could help us and allow us o use their premises to prepare our scripts and sound?", I asked Daniel. I saw a car parked at the entrance and noticed a woman at the wheel. She looked at me in amazement or shock, I don't know. In Johannesburg one has to be on the guard all the time because of the car-hijackings, muggings and other incidents of violent crime. She looked at me and saw that I had no bad intentions. I introduced myself and told her about Daniel and our predicament. We were running out of time and looking for a place to do some urgent work. "The priest will be here within a short while and I am certain he will allow you to do your work here," she said. It was a Greek church. When the priest arrived, she told him about our situation. He looked fierce and asked: "What do you guys want?" I repeated our plight and he said: "Well I will allow you to work from inside the church but you must leave when we are finished with our meeting." We agreed and he directed us to a front desk. I got down to editing the clips and writing the script. Daniel wrote a script for the DW website. Daniel checked my script and as I was about to voice the script, the priest came along and said our time was up because they were leaving. We pleaded for another forty minutes. The priest was puzzled but then relented. "Okay. Forty five minutes and no more", he said. I quickly voiced my script, edited and completed the package. I then sent the package by email to the DW office in Bonn.

(People remembering and celebrating Madiba) We paid our gratitude to the church people and said we really appreciated their generosity in allowing us to use their premises to do our work. Tired and exhausted, we had to find our way to Daniel's accommodation at Sandton City Lodge. It was raining and literally belting. If it was not for the GPS that my son, Kennedy Pregarsen, lent me, I would have been lost. After driving for more than one hour we at last found the Sandton City Lodge. It was 8:30pm. "Subry, I will see you in the morning at about 8:15am. We will be going to Pretoria to do reports about Mandela's body lying in state at the Union Buildings," said Daniel. "Okay, Daniel. I am really tired today." It took me another hour to drive, with the help of the GPS, to my son's place in Weldervreeden Park. The next morning was another task to find my way to Daniel's lodging. At first I had been directed to another Sandton City Lodge. "Subry, we need to make plans to get our accreditation today," said Daniel. "I think we can do so at the Union Buildings", he added. I had not been to Pretoria for many years. The last time I visited was in the early 1990s when I was based in Johannesburg as a Foreign Correspondent for DW and for the Press Trust of India. With the busy N1 highway and speeding cars I was a bit out of my depth on the Johannesburg-Pretoria roads. Once again I had rely on the GPS. I just punched in Pretorius Street in the hope of finding our way to the Union Buildings.

(A mother, son and daughter celebrating Madiba) When we were approaching Pretoria, we noticed a sign "park and ride" in order to view Mandela's body lying in state at the Union Buildings. It was the Fountain Valley resort, not far from the University of South Africa(UNISA) complex, situated on top of a hill. I turned the car to enter the resort but found myself driving in the wrong direction. I drove for about six kilometres before making a U-turn and driving back to the Fountain Valley Resort. Here we found long queues of people stretching for hundreds of metres and cars parked for more than a kilometre. We got down to interviewing people.

(These women giving their full blessings to Madiba) An elderly woman, Shirely Harrison, arrived here in the early hours of Wednesday morning with her friends in order not to miss the chance of paying tribute to Mandela. She says she took a keen interest in the freedom of all people and now she wanted South Africans to follow Mandela's legacy. "We all love him, we respect him, we will miss him and we got to carry on the legacy that is going to be hard. "We got to have the caring spirit that Madiba had, yes definitely." Although the people had to wait for long hours before being ferried to the area near the Union Buildings, the arduous wait did not bother the people at all.

(A picture that says it all) A young woman, Renuelle Luata, had come along with her family and friends to be given the opportunity to view Mandela's face. She said: "No you cannot afford to miss this opportunity, especially if you have not met him. You have the chance to mourn and see him and pay your last respects to a great man. I want to pay my tribute to Mandela." Another young woman was Jean Hewitt. "The queuing and the celebrations, I mean everything is so worth it. How can you not celebrate a man like this?" Ms Margaret Makgoto had arrived at the park and ride from Johannesburg. "Oh he means the world to me. He's the father of the nation. Well miss him very much and we will follow everything that he wanted."

Last white President, F W De Klerk, also paid tribute to Madiba From the Fountain Valley resort, we rushed to the Union Building environs but could not find parking. We drove around and finally found the building in Leyd street, where my son once lived with his wife and twin sons. The security guard was afraid to allow me to park inside the building property, saying his job would be at stake. We left and drove around again. But with security around the Union Buildings at its maximum, we were just at sixes and sevens. I drove back to the Leyd Street building and tried once again tried to convince he security guard. "Please help us," I asked the security guard. "We cannot find parking anywhere." He looked at me and took pity. "Okay, Sir. I have a parking but you must come here and fetch your car before I leave at 5pm." "No problem," I said. We parked in a hurry and walked swiftly towards the Union Buildings ground with our tape recorders and cameras. In the vicinity of the Union Buildings there was an atmosphere of calmness and spirituality. The mourners, many of them dressed in Nelson Mandela T-shirts, walked slowly up the small hill to the viewing area of the Union Buildings. I spoke to some of the people who walked down the numerous steps after paying their respects to Nelson mandela. Forty-five-year-old Isaac Mathe was from Pietersburg, north of Pretoria: "It's very, very emotional when you look at the body. He has done a lot of things for the country. He fought for the freedom of the country. If it was not for him I don't know what would have happened." Another mourner was Joanna Malika, a 36-year-old woman from an area near Johannesburg: "I was so emotional. I was so emotional that they even gave me a tissue to wipe my tears. I cried tears of joy you know". Ms Dolice Yugetsa was another person who had become emotional when viewing the body: "Oh I was so emotional because when I think back of what this old man has done for us I am worried about what is happoening now, therefore I felt so emotional." A 14-year-old girl, Curo Gay, arrived at the Union Buildings with her father to catch a glipse of Mandela's face. Described as a "born free" because she was born after the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994, the young girl said she was privileged to learn about Mandela. " I have always wanted to meet Nelson Mandela when he was alive and I would not get another opportunity dead or alive. He's a great man . It's better to have seen him now than to see him on TV and known about what he has done."

(Maya Jagjivan and Genevieve Govender) At the media centre I took Daniel to meet some of my former colleagues working for the national broadcaster, SABC. Here I met Maya Jagjivan, Genevieve Govender and Pregs Moodley, who I worked with at the SABC offices in Durban. I also met other SABC colleagues but could not recollected their names. After doing the interviews, Daniel and I found a desk at the Media Centre on the grounds of the Union Buildings to write our scripts and edit our sound. My editing computers was still in my car and I informed Daniel that I will walk down to where it was parked to bring my computers. The crowds were still building up and the line to the Union Buildings had stretched for several kilometres. The traffic and the security police officers were keeping a tight check on everyone. I approached one of the police officers and informed him that I was a journalist and working at the Media Centre. I asked the officer whether I could bring my car and park it near the media centre. He nodded and indicated that there would be no problem. Further down the road I came across another police road block. Here too I approached a police officer and asked him for permission to take my car near the Media Centre. He too was very helpful and said I could do so. A few hundred metres further down there was yet another police road block. This time I approached a woman police officer and told her about my dilemma. She relented and said: "I know you people are working under pressure. Please take your car in." I rushed to the building where my car was parked and told the guard that I have been given permission to take my car to the Media Centre. I thanked him and drove the car past the three police road blocks. At each road block the policemen just looked at me and allowed to drive through. After I found a parking in between other vehicles, I grabbed my bags containing my computers and walked quickly to the Media Centre. I told Daniel that I was allowed to bring my car and that I had parked it on the road nearby. He gave a sigh of relief. Once again, it was another round of editing the sound clips, writing the scripts, voicing the script and emailing the radio package to the Africa Desk in Bonn. When we had just finished our work and was about to walk to the car, the rains came down in buckets. Despite this we ran towards the car and began our journey back. It took us another two to three hours to get back to Daniel's hotel because of the pouring rain and the heavy traffic. "I'll see you at 9 in the morning," said Daniel as we took leave for the day and night. On Thursday morning, after picking up Daniel, we drove to the NASREC centre near the FNB stadium to collect our accreditation cards. We had expected no problems as we had already applied for our accreditation on line. It did not take us long to be given our accreditation cards but there was an interesting incident here. The lady who attended to me said: "Mr Subramoney it seems we already have a picture of you. What do you think? Have a look and see if you want me to take another picture of you." I looked and to my pleasant surprise I found a picture of my self that showed me to be about 20 years younger. "I think that picture will be fine. You don't have to take a new picture." While I was waiting for my card, one of the officials called out my name and asked me to see him. He said: "Mr Subramoney I don't think the picture we have of you will be okay. We need a new picture." I was brought to size and felt a little flattened. I was taken back to the lady officer and another picture of just my face was taken. Within minutes my accreditation was issued and Daniel and I drove towards Pretoria. On our way, we decided that we would do a piece about whether South Africans were united and positive about the future now that Mandela was no longer around. We stopped at a filling station to speak to people about a life without Nelson Mandela. During the course of the interviews, one of the people advised us that we should visit a small town, Erasmia, outside Pretoria, which consisted of many working class families. Prior to 1994, this little village comprised mainly white South Africans. But now the village, with a small supermarket, schools, churches, and a mosque, is home to people of all racial groups. Speaking to the people we found that they had no concerns that Mandela will no longer be around. A young man, Rian Rafiq, 31, who is a planning manager, had just returned home after spending a few years in England. He said the people were sad at the loss of Mandela but at the same time they were confident about the future. "I think the last thing on people's mind is about an uncertain future," he said.   "I don't think anyone feels that way now. I think we have a positive future. We have lost a great man but I think hopefully there's good things to come. "I think a lot of South Africans have to learn from the Mandela example and ask ourselves what would he do and how would he do things." Similar sentiments were expressed by other residents but one lady of colour hoped that people would "earn a living rather than breaking into people's homes and stealing and robbing". From Erasmus, we raced towards Pretoria amid all the heavy traffic. We found our way to the Brooklyn Mall, a few kilometres from the Union Buildings, where we were told that we would be able to interview more working-class people. Here we also found people who hoped that the grief they shared over the passing away of Mandela will bring the people of South Africa closer together. Ms Mandipa Gumane, a 25-year-old furniture sales executive, and Matside Sesekwale, a 25-year-old beauty therapist, were seated in a corner and we approached and sought their permission to speak to them about "life without Nelson Mandela". The young women were very co-operative. Said Ms Gumane: "Actually I am a bit confused. I don't know whether these people are going to start fighting again because he's no longer with us. I'm a bit scared that things might change. The EFF and the ANC - we don't really trust them. I think they can start fight again." Ms Matside Sesewkae was more positive: "I have a lot of white friends and we get along so nicely because of him. I'm grateful for all the revolutionaries for what they have done for us." A young white Afrikaans lady, Ms Esty Botha, who works as a kitchen manager in a restaurant in the Brooklyn Mall, told me it was up to all South Africans to emulate the life of Mandela. "What he left it's up to us to keep on. Nobody else can do it. We have to decide whether to build on what he had started or destroy everything." A supervisor who works with Ms Botha is Mr Max Mathebula. He does not believe that the situation would change now that Mandela is no longer around: "I think the future is still going to be the same because when we grew up, Mandela before he passed away, taught us that we must have peace and that we must hold each other as brothers and sisters." A 34-year-old white school teacher, Dion Vermaak, is one of the people who stood in the queue for hours to view Mandela’s body. He says his conservative father would not have approved his action. He believes that young South Africans will change the country for the better. "I think there are many many challenges but I do think the future is bright because we got the next generation. I think the people have a sense of responsibility to make it last." While conducting our interviews at the Mall, we came across the Deutsche Welle television correspondent who in the early 1990s had spent about four years in South Africa. He had come down to South Africa this time round, like Daniel, to cover the passing of Nelson Mandela. Being in a hurry, we did not spend much time in the company of the DW TV correspondent. After a cup of tea and some drinks, we took our leave and once again travelled the long journey back to Daniel's Sandton City Lodge. The traffic was heavy but being a driver, who took very few chances, I dropped off Daniel safely at the lodge. Back at my son's place, I was down to work once again - editing the interviews and preparing the script for the package about what South Africans envisioned a life without Mandela. After the script was checked by Daniel, I completed the package and sent it to the Africa Desk at DW in Bonn. On Friday, December 13 2013, I took a flight back to Durban to prepare for my trip to Qunu in the Transkei region of the Eastern Cape Province to cover the burial of Mandela on Sunday, December 15. Early on Saturday, December 14 2013, I rushed to a car hire company at Umhlanga Rocks. After making the arrangements, I got the car delivered to my residence at Umdloti, about 25km north of Durban. My wife, Thyna, in the meantime, prepared some food that I could take along with me. At around 11am I left for Umtata, not knowing where I would stay as I had not made any booking. "I will sleep in the car at a garage if I don't find a place to stay," I told Thyna. It was a long, long journey. From Durban to Port Shepstone on the south coast it was not that bad as I drove on the N2 highway. But from Port Shepstone, it was a two-way road, up winding hills, down some tortuous kilometres to the turn off at Kokstad. I did not go into Harding, a small town before Kokstad or into Kokstad as I had enough fuel to take me to Umtata. One had to drive carefully as the road steeped up and down hills with donkeys, cows and goats frequenting the roads at various spots. Despite the hazards, some motorists, however, showed no respect or courtesy and they sped past with their 4 X 4s, BMWs and Mercedez Benz vehicles. Enroute, I stopped at an area called Tsolo to fill the car with fuel at a local filling station. The attendants were very helpful and also expressed their sadness at the passing of Mandela when I asked them about their views.

(Kwakho Pasiya and his father at Tsolo) I even had the chance of speaking to a 15-year-old boy, Kwakho Pasiya, who was to my surprise knowledgeable about Nelson Mandela and his passing. He was waiting at the fuel station for his father, Sonwabiso Pasiya, a 52-year-old policeman, to pick him up. The young boy told me that he was in standard nine and that once he finished matriculation, he wanted to enter the field of information technology. He said the people in his area were very grateful to Mandela for bringing them freedom and, therefore, they now felt sad at his passing. "Nelson Mandela is our first black president," he said. "He fought for our democracy in South Africa. As youngsters we are so sad because we have lost a father, grand-father that we loved. He fought for our freedom, united the people." During another stop I drove into a huge bed and breakfast establishment, thinking that I might get some accommodation. "I am looking for a place to stay for two nights. Can you help me," I asked the two receptionists at the front desk. "Sorry Sir we are fully booked and we don't know of any other place," said one of the receptionists. "Sir, in any case just try this place which is a three-star B and B in Umtata," the other receptionist told me. I thanked them for their assistance and got on the road once again. It was getting late and I wanted to reach the B and B to find out whether they had any spare room. I reached the B and B just before 6pm and to my pleasant surprise, I was told that they had just one room available. The place looked neat and tidy and I took the room at R1 200 a night. Soon after confirming the booking, I got back on the N2 road and drove towards Qunu, about 30km away to the south of Umtata. It was raining and getting dark. I drove on, hoping to reach the media centre and acquaint myself with the surroundings. But I think I drove for about 20km in the dark and decided that I was not going to take any chances. I pulled off on a side road and got back on the road to Umtata. I stopped at the Shell Ultra in Umata and took a break to eat something that Thyna had prepared. It was around 10pm and when I got back to the B and B I informed the minders that they should get me up at 5am. I did not enjoy the sleep that night. Around 2am, another group of journalists, staying at the B and B, got up and were preparing to head for Qunu. I also got up, showered, dressed and left for Qunu around 2:30am. I reached the media centre around 4am. It was the start of another long day. First I made my presence felt in the media centre and selected a spot where I would work from. I then got back to the car and found something to nibble to satisfy my breakfast urgings. I then walked down the road to the village where I spoke to some people about Nelson Mandela to prepare for my reports later that afternoon.

(Journalists at the media centre in Qunu) I returned to the media centre where I met many colleagues who I had not seen for many years. Settling down at the spot where I booked a space earlier I began to monitor the proceedings of the funeral, which started on time at 8am on Sunday, December 15 2013.

(Working at the media centre in Qunu) Mandela Burial

While the funeral cermony was drawing to a close, I wrote this piece for the DW website. "An atmosphere of calmness and solemnity descended on the village of Qunu where the final funeral service of South Africa's first democratic president and freedom icon, Nelson Mandela, was held early on Sunday. "When I arrived here from the town of Umtata, about 30 km away, I found thousands of neat little cottages alongside some elegant brick houses that enveloped the Qunu area. The locals, dressed in the green, gold and black colours of South Africa and wearing Nelson Mandela t-shirts, were busy trekking along the roads to several viewing points. "In Mandela's Eastern Cape province alone - 18 viewing centres were set up for the local people. "The VIP and motor cades transported the dignitaries from Umtata to the service and were in constant flow. Security was very tight. "Journalists were directed to the Nelson Mandela Museum complex where they were catered for at a huge media centre. All the leading television networks - including ARD, CNN, BBC, Skynews and Al Jazeera - and major radio and print organisations were working from the centre. "More than 2 000 television, radio and print journalists were registered by the South African Government to cover the burial of Mandela. "Some local people were also walking towards the huge marquee where the ceremony was held before the burial of Mandela took place a short distance away from the main Mandela homestead. 'We are very very, sad today because Madiba has done a lot for us in this village and the country as a whole,' said 51-year-old school teacher, Tahle Mabiyaka. He was one of the hundreds who were walking to a viewing site near the Mandela homestead. 'He built us schools, roads, electricity and there is a hospital, Nelson Mandela Hospital, in town. Everyting is coming right now because of our making his way to the main service. He said they loved Mandela because he was the country's first black president. 'Nelson Mandela is our first black president and he fought for our democracy in South Africa,' he said. 'As youngsters we are so sad because we have lost a father, grand-father that we loved. He fought for our freedom , united people.'

(Yonele Samsika) One of the young people who helped with the catering at the official funeral service was Yonele Samsika, a 22-year-old university student. She's studying accounting and wants to become successful as Mandela had asked them to do. 'You he was more than a parent to the children in this area. He did a lot of things for the people in this rural areas like Qunu. He built schools hospitals for us and during Christmas when we were still young we would go to his place and he would give us presents and he would shake our hands.' "The official ceremony was a dignified affair, officiated by two high-ranking officials of the ruling ANC - Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the Deputy President, and Ms Baleka Mbeta, the national chairperson. "They introduced some of the dignitaries who were among the 5 000 family members, Government ministers, and international political leaders and guests. "The dignitaries prominent US Civil Rights activist, Reverend Jessie Jackson, Malawi President, Joyce Banda, who represented the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Ethiopean Prime Minister, Haile Mariam Desalgen, who represented the African Union and Tanzanian President, Jakaya Kikwete. "One of the veterans who paid a glowing tribute to Mandela was a former political comrades, Mr Ahmed Kathrada, 86, who spent 26 years on Robben Island as a fellow political prisoner. "He became emotional when he described the frail conditiond Mandela was when he last him a few months ago. But, he said, Mandela's legacy of bringing all people together must live on. 'What do we say to you Madala in these days - the last final moments together before you exit the public stage. Madala your abundant reserves of love, simplicity, honesty, service, humility, care, courage, foresight, patience, tolerance, equality, justice, continually served as a source of enormous strength to many millions of people in South Africa and around the world.'

(Mandela and Walter Sisulu on Robben Island) President Jacob Zuma, who who represented the Government at the ceremony, also thanked Mandela for leading the way in promoting peace, democracy and justice in South Africa. He said South Africans were now committed to continuing the Mandela legacy. 'Whilst the long walk to freedom has ended, we have to continue building the type of society you worked tirelessly to construct," he said. 'We have to take the legacy forward. In doing so we will continue drawing lessons from a very rich and extra-ordinary life. We will always remember you as a man of integrity who embodied the values and principles that your organisation the ANC promotes.' "The Ethiopean Prime Minister, Haile Mariam Desalgen, who represented the African Union, was one of the African Union leaders who praised Mandela's commitment to justice, freedom, and peace. He said Mandela had infused a sense of determination in the continent as a whole. 'In the face of atrocities,' he said, 'Mandela told us that if we remain commmitted to the ideals of justice, liberation, and above all the sanctity of human dignity we can ultimately prevail over the evil no matter how the roads are stepped against us.'

(Ms Nandi Mandela, one of Madiba's great-grand-daughters) "One of Mandela's great-grand-daughters, Nandi Mandela, said that, in addition to being a man who fought for freedom and unity, Mandela was also a family person who cared for everyone. She said in the in village of Qunu here she remembered that her great-grand-father was very passionate about promoting the well-being of children. "She said: 'He shared all what we had as best as possible with all those that he loved. For many years in Qunu during his presidency and after he stepped down he made that the children of Qunu had a beautiful Christmas. They came in thousands to his home and he made sure that each one of the children had a gift and a meal.'

(Ms Neo Phiri, who attended the funeral with her sister and brother-in-law) "One of the greatest tributes to Mandela was paid by a 31-year-old brand manager, Ms Neo Phiri, who had travelled more than 800 km outside Johannesburg to pay her last respects and bid her farewell because of the high respect she had for Mandela. She was accompanied by her sister and brother-in-law. "She told me in an interview that she would now try to promote Mandela's values in her community and South Africa. 'For me as a young person,' she said, 'as I look to the future of South Africa to be reminded of the sacrifices of this great icon makes me to really re-focus my life and really think what impact do I want to make to South Africa and my community'. After the official ceremony at Mandela's homestead, his body in a casket was driven in a gun carriage in great dignity and humility to the gravesite. Soldiers and the airforce gave Mandela the last salute.

(Journalists at the media centre) "It was an emotional send off and brought tears to the thousands, even some journalists at the media centre nearby. "His legacy - it seems - will live on forever. The Nelson Mandela Museum here in Qunu is one of the projects that will ensure that the life of Mandela is a constant reminder to the world." After filing that report, I also proceeded to do a radio script. By now I was very tired and took leave of my fellow journalist colleagues to return to the B and B in Umtata. It was around 5pm and I retired for a few hours sleep. I got up at about 8:30pm on the evening of Sunday, December 15 203 and went onto to package a radio report. After completing and sending this report to DW in Bonn, I took a break, had something to eat, and then went back to sleep. I was tired. The next morning, Monday, December 16 2013, I paid my bill in cash and then started my long journey back to Durban at about 7am. The N2 road towards KwaZulu-Natal was okay but there were still a lot of cars despite it being a holiday. I drove up the winding hills, down the hills and then came to a garage in Kokstad. Here I managed to get something to eat. I met a number of other journalists who were also returning home. We talked about the funeral and the dignified manner in which it was conducted. "Mandela was given a special funeral," said one visiting journalist from Australia. After energising myself, I was back on the road, taking the N2 to Durban. It was another long journey but I kept at it and arrived home at about 11am that day. I thought my work was done but as soon as I got home, I received a call from the Africa Desk in Bonn to say that they needed another report that would be much more current. They wanted me to include some of the state functions that were taking place in Pretoria where a nine metre statue of Mandela was unveiled and Jacob Zuma and his Ministers were involved in the Reconconciliation Day proceedings. So I had to write another script and send it to Bonn for checking. I then had to package the final edited script. I finished at about 5pm but by this time I was "dog tired". I retired to bed and only got up the next morning after nearly eight hours of sleep. Covering the Nelson Mandela memorial services in Johannesburg and Pretoria and later the funeral in Qunu were yet more highlights of my journalistic career. I was there in Cape Town on February 11 1990, when Mandela released; in Johannesburg when Mandela announced the victory of the ANC in the first democratic elections on April 27 1994; in Pretoria on May 10 1994 when he was installed as the country's first democratic president; joined him on an official visit to India in 1995; and now I was privileged to have been part of the team, covering his final farewell to higher heavens. I was privileged and I wouldn't have want to have had it any other way. It was a great pleasure and satisfaction, despite the tiredness one felt. Now my only plea is that all of us must emulate the life of Mandela so that we contribute to the society that he wanted for South Africa - free, democratic, non-racial, and equality for all - where South Africans will live in peace and harmony with on another. Will that be realised, especially with some elements promoting racial hatred? - ends