Johannesburg - Eulogised throughout the week as a global icon, statesman, father of the nation, ANC leader, the commander-in-chief of both the SANDF and MK, on Sunday, the son of Qunu, the chief of Mvezo is home for his final rest.
It was in this part of the world that the first black president was born, and it is here that the village becomes the gateway to his legacy for all the world.
His gravesite is perched atop a hill on his expansive Qunu farm estate and he will be laid to his final rest on Sunday near his son Makgatho Mandela - Mandla Mandela’s father - Madiba’s eldest son Thembekile and Mandela’s first daughter Makaziwe.
It is here in Qunu that the sound of sadness could be heard. It is here that his journey comes full circle. Even though the villagers welcomed their chief, it was the commander-in-chief who took off at Waterkloof Air Force Base and landed at Mthatha airport. The man of peace, the reconciler, was sent off not by men of the cloth, but by the generals of the armed forces.
The villagers also - in military style - formed a guard of honour, hoping to catch a glimpse of the hearse as it weaved its way through the dusty streets. The South African flag was the only regalia that represented his statesmanship, the rest symbolised the coming home of a military hero who died in battle after defending and restoring the glory of his fatherland.
As the hearse passed the rolling hills of his beloved village some 35km away from Mthatha, three fighter jets kept a hawkish eye from the sky as if to say he belongs up there. The jets circled Mandela’s Qunu homestead. “Nanku esiza usingaye (Here comes the man we’ve been waiting for),” shouted a man in the crowd of over 60 people standing on verge of the barrier between the N2 and Mandela's home. His path below reminded villagers that the chief was dead - long live the chief!
Police and traffic officers on motorcycles led wave after wave of VVIPs in blue light vehicles arriving ahead of the beloved statesman.
It will be almost 80 years since Mandela left Qunu, where thousands of mourners are expected to bid him a final farewell in a traditional state funeral on Sunday.
His body arrived in Qunu just after 3pm on Saturday after travelling thousands of kilometres from the Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria to Mthatha airport, where it was received by his widow Graça Machel and members of his family.
By 7am, residents from nearby communities had already started gathering along the aptly named Nelson Mandela Drive which runs through the town. A 91-year-old Jacob Kepeyi said he would not miss the procession for the world.
“This man is an older brother to me. I’m 91 years and he is 95. I’ve never met him in person, but I followed a lot of the things he said. I was working in East London when he was sentenced (at the Rivonia trial),” Kepeyi said.
Khanyisa Mapipa said every South African had a “little Mandela in them”.
“Hopefully we can get that opportunity to absorb and see that he is going to his final resting place and for everyone to reflect on the man’s legacy,” Mapipa said.
Brian Mkhupha from nearby Slovo Park was one of the first to arrive at the roadside.
“I arrived here at 7.30am. Everyone who is interested wanted to at least catch a glimpse of tat’ uMadiba, but there are a lot of people and we can’t all see him. If a person can at least see the hearse that is carrying his body, one can at least feel a little satisfaction in their heart,” said Mkhupha.”
Sunday Independent