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Tsvangirai to attend Mandela burial

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MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai is scheduled to attend the burial of the late former South African President Nelson Mandela at his Qunu Village in Eastern Cape, a party official said yesterday.

MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai is scheduled to attend the burial of the late former South African President Nelson Mandela at his Qunu Village in Eastern Cape, a party official said yesterday.

POLITICAL EDITOR

Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka told NewsDay that travelling arrangements and other logistics were being worked out for the former Premier to attend the funeral on Sunday.

He, however, would not divulge whether Tsvangirai had been invited, save to say the South African government was aware that he would be attending.

“In African culture you do not need an invitation to attend a funeral.  As for Mandela, his works alone invited the world.  However, the South African government is aware that Tsvangirai will attend the icon’s burial,” said Tamborinyoka.

In Harare, a memorial service for South Africa’s first black President was held at the ambassador’s residence.

Scores of diplomats, South African citizens resident in Zimbabwe and government officials converged to pay homage to one of the world’s greatest statesmen.

Speaker after speaker hailed the works of Madiba, who spent 27 years in prison for his stand against apartheid. “In this Mandela moment, South Africans should be forgiven for bursting into tears, hot tears of both joy and sadness, for succumbing to grief and exploding into celebration, for breaking into spontaneous song and leaping into choreographed dance,” said South African ambassador to Zimbabwe Vusi Mavimbela. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Christopher Mutsvangwa weighed in saying: “When the struggle needed non-violence, he was there.  When the struggle needed a much sharper form of resistance, to counter racism, he was also there.” On Tuesday, 91 world leaders, including United States President Barack Obama, attended Mandela’s memorial service held at FNB Stadium in Soweto, South Africa.  President Robert Mugabe was also in attendance.