Quiet outside Mandela’s Qunu home

Soldiers patrol in front of Nelson Mandela's home in Qunu, in the Eastern Cape. Picture: Schalk van Zuydam

Soldiers patrol in front of Nelson Mandela's home in Qunu, in the Eastern Cape. Picture: Schalk van Zuydam

Published Dec 9, 2013

Share

Qunu -

There was little activity outside former president Nelson Mandela's Qunu home in the Eastern Cape on Monday morning.

At 10.10am, a white Mercedes-Benz, led by a white VW polo with sirens blaring, drove down the closed-off road and entered the main gates.

Shortly before 10am, three military police vehicles arrived and parked on the grass in front of the main gates.

Police on horseback were patrolling Qunu.

Two white bakkies also arrived at the main gates after 10am, and men carrying two-way radios got out to greet and talk to the officers at the gates.

A few cars entered the property through the main gates while heavy goods trucks entered on a gravel road.

Events infrastructure companies also entered on the side road.

Police, military armoured cars and an ambulance also remained outside.

A large yellow crane was lifting steel rods and erecting a structure inside the property. Nearby, a large white tent had been erected.

The structure, a few metres high and wide, could be seen from the N2 which is the main road between Qunu and Mthatha.

Since Mandela's death on Thursday night, mourners have left flowers at the base of the property's wall.

Police asked journalists to stay on the other side of the N2 which passes the home.

Construction workers were laying tar and painting the road on the N2 between Mthatha and Qunu.

The road was closed off for a few kilometres before and after Mandela's house. Qunu is about 30km from Mthatha. - Sapa

Related Topics: