NELSON MANDELA ETERNALLY AT REST

Hello everybody,

It is such a beautiful day here in Johannesburg, South Africa. It’s a real hot summer's day, blue skies with a few clouds dancing about and no wind. Actually it is extremely hot outside, but perfect if you are in the shade under one of the beautiful large green trees, sipping a cold iced tea and admiring the lovely flowers and colors. Oh so perfect. I am blessed.

When the official time of death of Nelson Mandela was announced on December 5, it brought a swift end to the speculation of when he died and who was right about the date. Well that is clearly an issue that will be debated and the discovery of certain planned events before the announcement; there might just be a story to tell.
I wrote and published a story in the Guardian Liberty Voice (previously Guardian Express), titled Nelson Mandela Funeral Plans and His Final Resting Place in Qunu.
Please use this link NM Funeral Plans article link and read this article.

Since December 5, so many media channels have over exposed the Mandela story and history of his life. Perhaps it’s a little too much after all the man is not a god. I found the publicity given to Nelson Mandela unbearable at times and considered that the way news is generated through the social media, and communication channels is overpowering at times.

The memorial service held at the FNB Stadium, in Soweto, and attended by a huge contingent of world leaders, and royalty was amusing, sad, and caught my attention. Yes, I listened when Barak Obama spoke, his tribute was moving and that in my opinion was the best speech of the day.
The downpour of rain down all day long, left the stadium wet and covered by gloomy skies, but the heads of state and VIP's were secured behind a glass enclosure and protected from the weather, among other possible happenings. I was amused by the booing during President Zuma's speech.

That is a shameful action to undertake at an event of this magnitude and especially when so many world leaders are grouped together at the same time. This action prompted me to find out more, and yes I did. I will share during the next few weeks. It was like information overload, and I am overwhelmed at the real situation of the South African state. A hint, I think it was to ruin President Jacob Zuma.

Anyway, after that memorial service, the body of Nelson Mandela was moved to the mortuary at the Military Hospital in Pretoria. From Wednesday until Friday, the casket, draped with a South African flag was moved to the Union Buildings in Pretoria. I think it is pretty sad considering the number of people who queued the whole day to file past the body was unbearable. I wondered how people could stand all day long just to catch a fleeting glimpse of Nelson Mandela. Well people did love the man, and I guess it was a final goodbye for many. Or perhaps, it’s the first time that so many ordinary citizens could actually get that close to the famed Nelson Mandela. A friend of mine, who saw the corpse, told me it looked more like a wax figure than a real corpse. Of course, the frenzy of the photo doing the viral rounds on twitter caused a little controversy. Again people who did see this photo commented that it looked green and not real. Well the man is dead, what are we supposed to expect.

Now that the final burial takes place at Qunu in the Eastern Cape, a sense of normality has returned to our province, and people seem to be pleased to continue with their lives and holidays. That’s exactly what I want to do! I am officially on holiday and can enjoy my freedom for a month. Yeah, so happy about that!


Wishing you a wonderful week and stay blessed.
Your friend
Laura

(With my son on his wedding day)