10 April 2018
State of readiness for the memorial and funeral services for Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
Fellow South Africans,
Ladies and gentlemen of the media,
Welcome to this latest update on the preparations for the Special Official Memorial Service and Special Official Funeral Service for our beloved stalwart Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who passed on 2 April 2018.
In this briefing we will provide more information on some of the arrangements we reported about last week. However, some of the details will be provided by the respective disciplines.
We are encouraged by the peaceful and dignified manner in which mourners in various parts of the country and the world have conducted memorial events in her honour. We urge everyone to continue to uphold the dignity of Mama Madikizela-Mandela and remember the values that she stood for.
What we have seen over the past few days reflects the true spirit of South Africans celebrating the life of a stalwart who had a passion for her community and in developing young people.
Government has since declared days of mourning starting from 3 April 2018 leading up to the day of the funeral on Saturday,14 April 2018. President Cyril Ramaphosa has befittingly declared a Special Official Funeral Category 1 for Mama Madikizela-Mandela in line with the Official and Provincial Official Funeral Policy. This entails elements of military and ceremonial honours.
Mama Madikizela-Mandela will be laid to rest at the Fourways Memorial Park Cemetery on Saturday, 14 April 2018. As we advance forward with preparations, the IMC would like to share key information pertaining to the preceding events and the logistical arrangements as follows:
Memorial services
The Official Memorial Service will take place on Wednesday, 11 April 2018 at Orlando Stadium in Soweto and Deputy President David Mabuza will deliver the official address on behalf of government.
The Special Official Memorial Service will commence at 11:00.
The memorial service programme will include tributes from family members, organisations that Mama Winnie worked with. We also expect various artists to render cultural items.
Other memorial events are being held at provincial and local level, led by government entities and various organisations.
Buses will transport mourners to Orlando Stadium from various pick-up points in Gauteng such as Sedibeng, Ekhurhuleni, Tshwane and West Rand. Details will be given via various media channels.
The Special Official Memorial Service is open to all South Africans who wish to celebrate the life of Mama Winnie at Orlando Stadium.
There will be a park-and-ride facility from NASREC Train Station. Mourners will be transported in luxury coaches from 4:30am to the Orlando Stadium until 9:00am. Those being transported in buses will be dropped off at designated areas to access the stadium. Marshalls will assist members of the public who will be walking to the stadium.
There will be road closures around Orlando Stadium and no cars will be allowed in the stadium. Some of the road closures have already been listed on various government websites.
South Africans who are unable to come to Orlando Stadium will also be able to follow the proceedings on television or radio. The memorial and funeral services will also be broadcast live over 80 community radio stations around the country.
Funeral service
Part 1 of the funeral service will commence at 06:00 at home with the family and then proceed to Orlando Stadium. The official funeral programme at Orlando Stadium is scheduled to start at 09:00. The programme will consist of tributes from family members, close friends, international leaders and a representative from the Abathembu Royal House.
President Ramaphosa will deliver the eulogy, followed by an official sermon and military honours.
There will be a park-and-ride facility for the funeral service at NASREC EXPO. The coaches that will be transporting mourners will commence at 4:30am at the Nasrec Station.
Government has organised for an overflow venue at Orlando Rugby Stadium, which will be opened as the need arises. It will be operational with big screens to allow members of the public to follow proceedings at Orlando Stadium.
The Johannesburg Metro Police will issue an advisory that provides guidance on which roads will be closed and the times. This is to ensure that there is a smooth flow of traffic in and around Orlando Stadium. The IMC apologises in advance for any inconvenience caused to residents during that time.
Condolence books
We continue to encourage members of the public to continue signing condolence books that have been placed at various points across the country.
International
Through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, we have received condolence messages from 24 countries.
As of today, we can confirm the following expected dignitaries for the funeral President of Namibia Hage Geingob; President of Congo Dennis Sassou Nguesso ; Vice President of Liberia Jewel Howard Taylor; Executive Secretary of SADC Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax ; Former President of Malawi Joyce Banda; Rev Jesse Jackson and Mrs Rawling representing former President of Ghana
Media
The memorial and funeral services will also be live-streamed for technology-savvy South Africans who can also engage with the speech online via the government and social media accounts under the hashtag #WinnieMadikizelaMandela .
There will be a downloadable application that mourners can access to download the programme and obituary as well as post messages of condolences.
We have so received media accreditation registration from approximately 900 journalists from domestic and international media houses. After this briefing, the GCIS will be conducting a technical briefing for members of the media.
We want to conclude by thanking people around the country and the world for their warm and generous responses in the wake of the passing of our beloved Mama Winnie. All South Africans are indebted to the role Mama Winnie played in the liberation of our country.
Issued by Government Communication and Information System
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