Navdip Dhariwal: Communities young and old remember him as the father of the nation
Vigils are continuing across South Africa as thousands mourn the death of former leader Nelson Mandela.
People have been remembering his legacy, dancing and singing in front of Mr Mandela's former home in Soweto.He is to be accorded a state funeral on Sunday 15 December, President Jacob Zuma announced.
Mr Mandela, who died on Thursday aged 95, spent 27 years in jail before becoming South Africa's first black president in 1994.
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1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
1943 Joins ANC
1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped after a four-year trial
1962 Jailed for five years for incitement and leaving country without a passport
1964 Charged with sabotage, sentenced to life
1990 Freed from prison
1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
1994-99 Serves as president
2004 Retires from public life
2010 Last major public appearance at football World Cup in Johannesburg
1943 Joins ANC
1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped after a four-year trial
1962 Jailed for five years for incitement and leaving country without a passport
1964 Charged with sabotage, sentenced to life
1990 Freed from prison
1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
1994-99 Serves as president
2004 Retires from public life
2010 Last major public appearance at football World Cup in Johannesburg
His administration replaced the
racist white-minority regime that had enforced segregation of black and
white people in a policy known as apartheid.
Mr Mandela went on to become one of the world's most respected statesmen.South Africans across the country have been saying prayers, singing anti-apartheid songs and lighting candles.
Hundreds are gathered outside Mr Mandela's home in Johannesburg's northern suburb of Houghton where he died, and thousands of flowers laid outside have begun to resemble a wall.
They have been sharing memories of the former leader, recounting how they drew inspiration from his life.
A stage has been erected near the house, from where priests have led the crowd in prayers.
One of his grandsons. Mbuso Mandela, laid wreaths in his grandfather's memory.
People have also been gathering before the Union Buildings in the administrative capital Pretoria.
"I was born after he became president and I just remember the South Africa he left to us, the South Africa he gave to us," one mourner at the site was quoted as saying by Reuters.
"So today will be a good day to give him, some flowers to remember him and the South Africa he fought for."
President Zuma visited the house on Friday to pay his respects.
At a news conference, Mr Zuma outlined a week of events to mourn the former president.
- Sunday will be an official day of prayer and reflection with special religious services
- On Tuesday, a service of national mourning will be held at a 95,000-seater stadium on the outskirts of Johannesburg
- Mr Mandela's body will lie in state from Wednesday to Friday in the capital, Pretoria
Hundreds have attended an interfaith remembrance service outside Cape Town's City Hall. The Johannesburg stock exchange suspended operations for five minutes on Friday as a mark of respect.
Criticism "We sincerely thank all South Africans for the dignified manner in which they have respected and responded to the monumental loss of this international icon," Mr Zuma said.
Flowers outside Nelson Mandela's home in Houghton are taking the shape of a wall
Mourners lit candles in Mr Mandela's memory across South Africa, such as here in Pretoria
Hundreds came to pay their respects outside Mr Mandela's home in Houghton
Many also gathered outside Mr Mandela's former home in Soweto
"He taught us extraordinarily practical lessons about forgiveness, compassion and reconciliation."
He also cited Mr Mandela's weaknesses, including "his steadfast loyalty to his organisation and some of his colleagues who ultimately let him down".
Mr Mandela had been receiving treatment at home for a recurring lung illness since September, when he was discharged from hospital.
As soon as the news of his death broke late on Thursday, small crowds began to gather in Soweto's Vilakazi Street, where Mr Mandela lived in the 1940s and 1950s.
Across the world, leaders, celebrities and members of the public have been paying tribute.
Pope Francis said Mr Mandela had forged "a new South Africa built on the firm foundations of non-violence, reconciliation and truth".
Queen Elizabeth II said she was "deeply saddened" to learn of Mr Mandela's death and said she remembered her meetings with him "with great warmth".
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The White House has announced that Mr Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be travelling to South Africa next week to pay their respects and take part in memorial events.
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South Africans are mourning Nelson Mandela through songs of
struggle and church hymns. One of the songs is "Nelson Mandela ha hona
ea tshwanang le yena" which in Sotho means there is no-one like Nelson
Mandela. This song and many others like it encapsulate the deep sense of
loss here and the realisation that his passing marks the end of an era.
Even South Africans who had never met him had made a special place for him in their hearts. They will remember him as the father of the nation, who brought an end to apartheid and delivered the nation from the brink of civil war.
Children carrying posters slowly march up and down Vilakazi street, where Mr Mandela's Soweto home is. Others are standing outside his old house, now turned into a museum.
There is an air of heaviness here - none of the loud hooting of minibus taxis that usually make up the energy of this busy street, no cars speeding down blaring loud music. Instead those not part of the mournful singing speak in hushed tones. Elderly women with walking sticks are part of the group that has come to send off the nation's icon.
Analysis
Even South Africans who had never met him had made a special place for him in their hearts. They will remember him as the father of the nation, who brought an end to apartheid and delivered the nation from the brink of civil war.
Children carrying posters slowly march up and down Vilakazi street, where Mr Mandela's Soweto home is. Others are standing outside his old house, now turned into a museum.
There is an air of heaviness here - none of the loud hooting of minibus taxis that usually make up the energy of this busy street, no cars speeding down blaring loud music. Instead those not part of the mournful singing speak in hushed tones. Elderly women with walking sticks are part of the group that has come to send off the nation's icon.
The opening of a summit of
African leaders in Paris to discuss security was dedicated to Mr
Mandela, with many of those present paying tribute.
Flags are flying at half-mast on government buildings in
Washington DC, Paris, across the UK and across South Africa. The
European Union and world football body Fifa have also ordered their
flags to be lowered.In London, long queues formed outside the South African High Commission as people waited to sign a book of condolence.
Parliament in Pretoria is expected to hold a special joint session to reflect on Mr Mandela's life and legacy.
The BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Johannesburg says South Africa will never have seen a state funeral like it, with leaders, dignitaries and other admirers of the former president expected from all over the world.
It will be a huge logistical challenge, especially given the remoteness of Qunu, our correspondent adds.
Mr Mandela died shortly before 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Thursday.
He won admiration around the world when he preached reconciliation after being freed from almost three decades of imprisonment.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 along with FW de Klerk, South Africa's last white president.
Mr de Klerk, who ordered Mr Mandela's release from jail, called him a "unifier" and said he had "a remarkable lack of bitterness".
Many mourners have been singing traditional songs in Mr Mandela's memory
An interfaith remembrance service in Cape Town drew hundreds of people
Mr Mandela's death has been marked around the world with people leaving tributes such as this one in London
Roving diplomat Born in 1918, Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1943, as a law student.
He and other ANC leaders campaigned against apartheid.
Initially he campaigned peacefully but in the 1960s the ANC
began to advocate violence, and Mr Mandela was made the commander of its
armed wing. He was arrested for sabotage and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964, serving most of his sentence on Robben Island.
He was released in 1990 as South Africa began to move away from strict racial segregation - a process completed by the first multi-racial elections in 1994.
Mr Mandela served a single term as president before stepping down in 1999.
After leaving office, he became South Africa's highest-profile ambassador, campaigning against HIV/Aids and helping to secure his country's right to host the 2010 football World Cup.
INTERACTIVE
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Johannesburg and Cape Town
×Young people on the streets of Johannesburg and Cape Town react to the news of Nelson Mandela's death.
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Houghton, Johannesburg
×The BBC's Milton Nkosi reports from Houghton, Johannesburg, where crowds gathered outside Nelson Mandela's home.
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Soweto
×In Soweto, people danced in the streets to celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela.
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Cape Town
×At a memorial service in Cape Town, Archbishop Desmond Tutu gave thanks for the life of Nelson Mandela and paid tribute to what the former South African president achieved.
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