Video: Nelson Mandela's historic visit to the UAE

South Africans united in mourning for Nelson Mandela on Friday, but while some celebrated his remarkable life with dance and song, others fretted that the anti-apartheid hero's death would leave the nation vulnerable again to racial and social tensions.

President Jacob Zuma said Mandela would be buried on Dec. 15 at his ancestral home in the Eastern Cape.

South Africans heard from Zuma late on Thursday that their first black president, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, had died peacefully at his Johannesburg home in the company of his family after a long illness.

On Friday, the country's 52 million people absorbed the news that the statesman, a global symbol of reconciliation and peaceful co-existence, had departed forever.

Zuma also announced Mandela would be honoured at a Dec. 10 memorial service at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium, the site of the 2010 World Cup final.

"We will spend the week mourning his passing. We will also spend it celebrating a life well lived," Zuma said.

Mandela would be laid to rest at his ancestral village of Qunu, 700 km (450 miles) south of Johannesburg, in a plot where three of his children and other close family members are buried.

South Africa's Ambassador to the UAE Mpetjane Kgaogelo Lekgoro said: “Nelson Mandela continues to be an inspiration for all.”
 
“This day is a sad day for many South Africans,” commented Nelson Moreira, a 94-year-old resident of Dubai.

“He was not only an iconic figure around the world but also a great gentleman who saw the good and the positive side in a new South Africa when he got elected.

“Even after his 27 years in prison he still found a way to forgive all in the name of reconciliation and he moved the country forward in a unified multi-cultural way.

“He fought against oppression, racism and for equality. His place in history is guaranteed for eternity.”

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