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Witness History: The funeral of Nelson Mandela

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The funeral of Nelson Mandela

15/12/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, The funeral of Nelson Mandela

In 2013, South Africa's first black president was buried in his ancestral village

In 2013, a humble village in South Africa hosted the funeral of the country's revered statesman, Nelson Mandela. Sixty world leaders attended and tens of thousands mourned.

On 15 December 2013, South Africa held the funeral of Nelson Mandela who led the struggle in defeating apartheid and became the country’s first black president. 

His ancestral home in the village of Qunu in South Africa’s Eastern Cape hosted 60 world leaders including four United States presidents and two UN secretary generals. 

It was the first state funeral held by the country.

Nelson Mandela’s eldest child Dr Makaziwe Mandela tells Josephine McDermott how it took eight years to plan and why it makes her proud to remember that day.

(Photo: Candles are lit under a portrait of Nelson Mandela at his funeral service. Credit: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)

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