Cape Town - Former president Nelson Mandela's story is part of the lifeblood of South Africa, Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille said on Friday.
“Living in South Africa has been living with him inside all of us. And so it’s so hard to say goodbye,” she said in a statement.
“I think we fooled ourselves into thinking that Madiba could live forever. We wanted him to stay alive for us.
“The pain of letting go just seems too great. But in the end, we have to stop thinking about ourselves. After this man gave us so much we have to let him rest,” she said.
De Lille said Cape Town needed to give Madiba a proper farewell.
She would host an inter-faith religious ceremony at the Grand Parade at 5pm.
Free transport would be provided by the Golden Arrow bus service, Metrorail, and MyCiTi bus service, to anyone who wanted to attend, she said.
De Lille said within the next 48 hours, the city hall and civic centre would be used as public viewing areas, where residents could sign condolence books. - Sapa