South Africans brave weather for memorial
JOBURG - Mourners have not been deterred by the rain and have made their way to the FNB Stadium ahead of former President Nelson Mandela’s official memorial service.
ReaVaya shuttle services started operating at 5am Tuesday morning with the public braving the rain to pay their last respects to Madiba.
Although umbrellas were initially not going to be allowed, it was confirmed at 7am that people would be allowed inside the stadium with their umbrellas.
With a quarter of the stadium already being occupied by 7am, Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane said some people could find themselves being turned away at the stadium.
He appealed for co-operation ahead of the memorial service.
“We expect that at some stage all of these venues will be full to capacity and we therefore hope that people co-operate with authorities if they have to be turned away because of capacity. We ask that when people are turned away, they respond with dignity.”
Chabane said 150 public viewing areas had been arranged across the country but noted that the venues may also experience an overflow due to limited capacity.
