/ 11 December 2013

Mandela moves to the Union Buildings

The body of Nelson Mandela will be transported from 1 Military Hospital to the Union Buildings on a daily basis from Wednesday to Friday.
The body of Nelson Mandela will be transported from 1 Military Hospital to the Union Buildings on a daily basis from Wednesday to Friday.

The body of former president Nelson Mandela will be transported from 1 Military Hospital to the Union Buildings on a daily basis from Wednesday to Friday, the City of Tshwane said.

"Certain roads in City of Tshwane will be closed to pass through from 1 Military Hospital to the Union Buildings, where his body will be laying in state," said spokesperson Selby Bokaba.

The Old Pretoria Road, Kgosi Mampuru Street (former Potgieter Street) and Madiba Street (former Vermeulen Street) towards Union Buildings will be closed from Wednesday to Friday between 5am and 9am.

"The public should note that all the roads adjacent to the Union Buildings will be closed to traffic during the three-day period."

The Jan Smuts Drive (Old Johannesburg Road) will be closed from the off-ramp to Eufees Road and the N14 freeway from Eufees Road.

"Selected sections of the route will be reopened once the area has been cleared by security personnel."

Park and ride
The public were advised to use alternative routes and not to travel through the Pretoria city centre during those times.

But members of the public were invited to line the route and form a public guard of honour for Madiba when his body is being transported.

The Tshwane Events Centre, LC De Villiers Sports Facility in Hatfield and Fountains Valley Park will be used as park and ride facilities to the Union Building.

On Tuesday, tens of thousands of South Africans attended the former stateman's memorial service.

US, British and French heads of government past and present attended, along with European royals, African leaders including Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and a strong celebrity contingent led by local born actress Charlize Theron.

Cape Town
Meanwhile, the tribute Mandela concert at the Cape Town Stadium, 'Nelson Mandela: A Life Celebrated', "has been overwhelming", said the City of Cape Town on Tuesday.

So much so, that it has had to make provisions for a larger crowd than it had originally anticipated. The concert will be screened at the Grand Parade, it said. The line-up of the Wednesday concert features musicians FreshlyGround, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Johnny Clegg, as well as the Bala Brothers.

"With all available coupons for the event on Wednesday … having been collected so quickly, the city is giving those who weren't able to get coupons a chance to still witness the homage to Madiba by screening the event on the Grand Parade. The stadium event will be screened on the Grand Parade from 16:00 when it starts," it said. – Additional reporting by Sapa