Nelson Mandela’s village Qunu the focus of the world

Qunu, South Africa: With giant black helicopters patrolling the fields, convoys of police and army blockading the roads and the frantic last-minute erection of a massive white dome-shaped marquee, Nelson Mandela’s hometown has been transformed into what could be the film set of a sci-fi movie.

Madiba (Mandela’s Thembu clan name) will be buried in Qunu at his family graveyard on Sunday. The village has been gearing up to host some of the world’s elite, including Britain’s Prince Charles, Malawian President Joyce Banda, American civil rights activist Jessie Jackson to name a few.

But villagers won’t be receiving the same courtesy — numbers are strictly controlled by the army and police forces, and only a select few will be able to attend the actual ceremony.

Similarly, much to the dismay of over 4,000 local and international journalists who have received accreditation, the Government Communication and Information Systems (GCIS) announced on Friday that media will be granted even less access, with only the South African Broadcasting Corporation and two journalists and two photographers allowed to cover the funeral. Press will be restricted to the Media Centre up at the museum, where rolling green hills allow a remote view of the low-lying farm and burial site.

Still, excitement is high with journalists coming from as far afield as Europe, the Middle East, America and even Australia to cover what’s been called “the funeral of the century”. Representing all major news networks, the press has accepted their lot stoically, and despite few facilities and unclear guidelines of what’s allowed, are camped in a muddy grassland outside the Media Centre.

Saturday brings the body of Nelson Mandela from Pretoria’s Waterkloof Air Force Base, accompanied by members of his family and a military escort, to land in Mtatha around 12.45pm (2.45pm UAE), according to family spokesperson General Temba Matanzima. After doing a test run on Friday afternoon, a convoy escorting the delegation of family and guests will proceed through the streets of Mtatha to Qunu, where a human chain of visitors and residents will line the N2 to honour their icon as he returns to his final resting place.