Funeral arrangements & services

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela will be laid to rest during an official state funeral, which will take place over a period of 10 days.
Former president Nelson Mandela will be buried at Qunu in the Eastern Cape on 15 December 2013, following an official memorial service on 10 December at FNB stadium in Johannesburg.
South African flags at all official buildings will fly at half-mast throughout the period. 
The public will be given ample opportunity to pay their last respects to former President Mandela. There are public venues throughout the country that will serve as memorial centres where people will be able to participate in public mourning events.
Books of condolence are being circulated to all municipalities and government departments. People can also post tributes, record memories and express their emotions at the Government Facebook page.
Books of condolence is be available at our diplomatic missions around the world.
Memorial service - 10 December 2013
The public and media are welcome to attend a memorial service for former President Mandela at the FNB Stadium on 10 December. Gates will open at 06h00 and the service will start at 11h00.
Details on the service are available under Memorial service.
Lying in State - 11 to 13 December 2013
South Africans and selected international visitors and guests will be able to view President Mandela’s remains at the Union Buildings for three days from Wednesday, 11 December.
President Mandela’s remains will be transported daily between 1 Military Hospital, Thaba Tshwane, and the Union Buildings. The procession will leave 1 Military Hospital at 07h00 daily and President Mandela’s body will be on view from 08h00.

On Wednesday December 11, the Mandela family and VVIPs will view the body from 10h00.

Members of the public will file past the body from 12h00 to 17h30.

On Thursday and Friday, 12 and 13 December, the public will have access to casket from 08h00 to 17h30.

Government appeals to people to work with the various agencies of government who will manage this route so that this daily event will be dignified and secure.
Three sites in Pretoria will be used as points from which mourners will be shuttled to the Union Buildings and back. No other access will be possible. Mourners are also advised that cellphones will need to be off and out of sight as mourners file past the body.
Details of this route and times will be provided later. Government invites mourners to line this route and form a public guard of honour for Tata Madiba each morning when the remains are transported. The public guard of honour will not apply in the evening.
Again, we call on members of the public to cooperate with the authorities to ensure that this event is dignified and secure.
Transporting of remains to Qunu - Saturday, 14 December 2013
On Saturday, 14 December, the former President’s remains will be transported to the Eastern Cape from Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria, where the ruling party will bid Madiba farewell.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will take charge of this leg of the State funeral.
A military Guard of Honour will welcome the mortal remains which will be draped in the national flag. 
Upon arrival at Mthatha Airport the SANDF contingent will perform the ceremonial removal of the Mortal Remains form the aircraft.
The coffin will be placed on a gun carriage and then transported into a hearse.
The SANDF will sound the national anthem while the Guard of Honour will Present Arms and salute.
The mortal remains will thereafter be transported to the family home in Qunu, where the Thembu community will conduct a traditional ceremony.
State funeral service at Qunu - 15 December 2013
The funeral service at Qunu will conclude the 10 day State funeral period.
The Mandela family, the President and Cabinet, and other dignitaries will be in attendance.
The SANDF will again be charged with draping the coffin. A National Salute will be performed and the National Anthem will be played.

African Leaders who are to attend Mandela Memorial?

According to South Africa's foreign ministry 37 African heads of state and government are scheduled to attend the memorial service for Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg today Tuesday 10 December 2013;Wow, what a great leader was Mandela:

Algeria, His Excellency Mr Abdelkader Bensalah, Speaker of the Council of the Nation (Senate)

Angola, His Excellency Mr Manuel Vicente, Vice President

Benin, His Excellency Boni Yayi, President

Botswana, His Excellency Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama, President

Burundi, His Excellency Pierre Nkurunziza, President

Chad, His Excellency Mr Idriss Deby Itno, President

Comores, His Excellency Dr Ikiliou Dhoinine, President

Congo (Republic of the Congo ), His Excellency Mr Denis Sassou-Nguesso, President

Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo), His Excellency Joseph Kabila, President

Cote d Ivoire, His Excellency President Allassane Ouattara, President

Djibouti, His Excellency Ismail Omar Guelleh, President

Ethiopia, His Excellency Ato Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister

Equatorial Guinea, His Excellency Mr Obiang Mbasogo, President

Gabon, His Excellency Ali Bongo Ondimba, President

The Gambia, His Excellency Prof Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh, President Sheikh

Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President

Guinea, His Excellency Prof Alpha Conde, President

Kenya, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, President

Lesotho, His Excellency, T Thabane, Prime Minister

Liberia, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President

Mauritius, His Excellency Dr the Honourable Navinchandra, Prime Minister

Mauritania, His Excellency Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President

Malawi, Her Excellency Joyce Banda, President

Mozambique, President of Mozambique, HE Armando Emilio Guebuza

Namibia, His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba, President

Niger, His Excellency Issoufou Mahamdou, President

Nigeria, His Excellency Goodluck Jonathan, President

Saharawi Republic, His Excellency Mr Mohamed Abdelaziz, President

Senegal, His Excellency Macky Sall, President

Seychelles, His Excellency Mr James Alix Michel

South Sudan, His Excellency General Salva Kir Mayardit, President

Swaziland, His Excellency Dr Sibusiso Dlamini, Prime Minister

Tanzania, His Excellency Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President

Tunisia, His Excellency Mohamed Moncef Marzouki, President

Uganda, His Excellency Yoweri Kagota Museveni, President

Zambia His Excellency Michael Sata, President

Zimbabwe, His Excellency Robert Gabriel Mugabe, President

What as a young person did I learn from Madiba

While listening to Cape talk radio recently, this question came up frequently: “How will you spend your 67 minutes on Mandela Day?”  My personal feeling was that we owe Madiba more than 67 minutes. At my beginning of my high school in 1996, I learned about Mandela.  One holiday, as a young person, I was invited with other young to name a baby boy as it is part of our culture and I named him “Mandela”.  Although I was still young, I was touched by how he sacrificed his family and even his life for the freedom; not only of his people but both white and black.

As Mandela passes on, I reflect on how I would serve the community with my time in return for everything Mandela had taught me. The years of struggling that were undertaken by Mandela reflect a lifetime of continuous service aimed at the achievement of equal rights and freedom for the people of South Africa, and also as an inspiration for people across Africa and the world.
As I dig deeper into Mandela’s life, I think about what I, as a young person have learned from this great man. His experience shows that when pursuing a goal, we must put it not only in thoughts but also into actions.  Mandela showed himself to be a man of great compassion.

After the war and genocide in my own country, Rwanda, that left more than a million perish, I realise that I need to imitate Mandela’s qualities. I resolved not to be a hostage of the past. I decided to move on and applied myself in youth development. Throughout the rest of my life, I hope to continue in the same manner of unselfish work. I would indeed like to contribute what little I have to helping improve lives of young people throughout Africa.

With Mandela as my inspiration, I can say that leadership does not necessarily mean accumulating as many titles as possible in a community, but more so, it is defined by an individual’s dedication and actions in a community.

Recently with other young people we have started a youth initiative called Crystal Horizon Youth Centre (CHYC) located in Cape Town to instil creativity in African youth and engage them in the improvement of their own community.

The main purpose of the Crystal Horizons is to inculcate in the youth an understanding of their important role in the development of their communities and to assist them in participating constructively in community development, nation-building and to develop a spirit of entrepreneurship among youth.

 Joseph sitting in Mandela's chair at Mandela's home in Bishopcourt, Cape Town.

 

A CALL TO AFRICAN MEN

A CALL TO AFRICAN MEN

 

Some of  Us, we blame poverty

But this is not civility.

Yes, some didn’t have fathers

They were raised by only mothers

Others were raised with too much anger

But this shouldn’t be the cause

For not being a Good Father.

 

Gone are those days where physical muscles

Use to define manhood

Like it’s done in Hollywood.

Gone are those days were men must be autocrats

Gone are those days where a real man is that who drink too much

Gone are those days where men go to kitchen only on Braai day

Just drinking and eating too much meats

While their women and kids have only tea.

 

Let me give you a secret

It has worked for me

For sure it can work for you

“Time is now to treat her as a Queen,

If you also wish to be treated as a King”

Come home early

Take care of her merrily

Play with your kids frequently

They will grow joyfully

And you’ll be Alright, amusingly.

 

You can make supper

There is no matter

You can wash dishes

Why not change nappy?

I promise you will feel happy

And You won’t feel sorry.

 

Let’s keep our Women from harm

By covering them with warm

Take time to hear her  as her Man

You will be her Superman!

Hold them with your arm tight,

They will also take care of you in the night.

 

Real Men don’t just sit and watch movies

While their women are all busy;

Real men don’t sit and drink wine after beers

They protect their woman as human protect against bees;

They do care by accompanying their wives to prenatal appointments

They do care by being there when their wives are giving birth.

Yes, let’s do care by being their strengths

No matter what comes our way.

 

Take time to talk to her

Not time to give her orders

Seek advice from her

She’s the best advice-giver you have

And the reason for you to behave;

Make home budget together

I assure you, you will succeed forever.

You will build your home and family,

Not with the voice and noise you raise on her

But the affection of your good acts to her.

 

Ooh Men of Africa!

Beautiful our Africa

Real men don’t fight

They don’t rape or sleep around

Making babies who will never know their fathers.

Come together and protect woman

Can we? YES WE  CAN

 

By Joseph Eliabson MANIRAGENA

Founder, Crystal Horizons Youth Centre  Phone: 021 713 2801  Cell: 0836872282

Programmes Assistant at African Monitor   www.africanmonitor.org

International Youth Day: Another Youth Day finds African Youth in dire poverty

The International Youth Day is celebrated on August 12 each year to recognise efforts of the world’s youth in enhancing global society. It also aims to promote ways to engage them in becoming more actively involved in making positive contributions to their communities.

Globally, the situation of young people today is characterized by extreme disparities in terms of economic, technological, social and cultural resources, which vary enormously across regions, countries, localities and population groups.

Looking at Africa, according to the Economist Magazine, six of the world’s 10 fastest-growing economies between 2001 and 2010 are in Africa. The International Monetary Fund says that between 2011 and 2015, African countries will account for 7 of the top 10 spots.[i] One wonders if African youth have a place in this realisation.

African Monitor notes that amidst this clear progress, there is reason for real concern about whether the opportunities that Africa has at its disposal will lead to significant development and progress in African nations and real changes in the lives of the poor including youth. There is strong evidence suggesting that Africa is at risk of missing the current opportunity because of a number of factors; one of these factors is the failure to convert Africa’s demographic advantage which is young people into a dynamic economic force.[ii]

 Beside the development cited above, the majority of African youth continue to face different challenges such as exclusion in development and peace initiatives and processes at national, regional and continental levels; lack of skills or quality education; limited access to economic opportunities; unemployment; lack of access to health-related information and services, etc.

According to UNESCO, despite youth constituting more than half of the population in many countries, governments rarely consult young people on matters affecting their lives, such as strategy for poverty reduction efforts. Even those governments that have developed legislation on youth issues often lack comprehensive and holistic approaches to the challenges faced by the younger generation. A progressive national youth policy obliges traditional decision-makers to not only work for young people, but with them in order to let their experiences inform the development of appropriate interventions and services.[iii]

Addressing the Stellenbosch University students about “the potential of African students and youth in light of the Arab Spring” in August 2011, Thabo Mbeki, the former President of South Africa pointed out that ousted Presidents Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak had clung to power far too long, and had enriched themselves at the expense of their people, who suffered under the burden of poverty and unemployment.  Furthermore, President Mbeki said that at the same time as the ruling groups in Egypt and Tunisia were enriching themselves, millions among their people faced challenging socio-economic conditions, characterised by high rates of poverty, unemployment, and an unaffordable cost of living.

“This meant that not only were millions languishing in poverty, but also that the situation was made worse by glaring disparities in standards of living between the rich at the top and the poor at the bottom of the proverbial pyramid”, President Mbeki added.  Youth should know how to recompense those leaders who are busy accumulating wealth, enriching their families like in the recent election in Senegal whereby the former president of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade who opted to build luxurious monuments and linking his palace to the airport and yet thinking that youth will vote for him. He lost to President Mack Sall.

Reflecting on what many governments have done, we would agree that youth issues are yet to be a national priority in many African counties. As the former Anglican Archbishop Njongo Ndungane, the President of African Monitor said, that “in his numerous interactions with the poor across the continent, the loudest voices heard are grassroots communities who say they do not want hand-outs. Rather, they want the opportunities and capabilities to eke out their own livelihoods.”

Faced with the challenges of the 21st century, young people are confessing that local, national and international systems of decision-making lack concrete avenues for sufficient participation. While traditional social and political systems continue to fail to offer representation or successful solutions and meaningful opportunities for youth to contribute to their world and future, young people will remain trapped in a cycle of poverty, violence and missed opportunity.

It is of paramount importance that young people become the custodians of their own development, partake fully in citizenship duties, and contribute towards the economic development of states and Africa as a whole. Youth needs to voice their concerns/inputs through platforms which are available such as national youth councils, ministries responsible for youth and others in order for them to make  a valid contribution to decision-making regarding their well-being.

Africa’s Youth should take a leading example such as the Ugandan youngest MP in African history, Miss Proscovia Alengot Oromait, 19 year old, despite her young age who didn’t shy away for contesting a seat in the Ugandan parliament. She believed in herself, she won and she now sits in Ugandan parliament where she contributes to shape the laws of her country.

Youth shall do whatever it takes to take part in finding solutions to the problems facing them; they should take example from the Pakistan girl, Malala Yousufzai, 14- years old, who was recently nearly killed for speaking out for girls barred from school by the Taliban.

 “African Youth can make a difference, what they need is recognition and active backup.” As said Jean Philbert Nsengimana, the Minister of Youth and ICT in Rwanda who is also of a younger generation. By harnessing young people’s energy into a positive movement, the whole of Africa stands to gain. As we celebrate the International Youth Day on 12 August, let all of us support African young people so that they grow into empowered adults who raise more generations of productive and powerful leaders.

 

---

[i] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/opinion/sunday/africa-on-the-rise.html?_r=0

[ii] African Monitor, DSM 2011

[iii] UNESCO’s Contribution: Empowering Youth through national policies, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001345/134502e.pdf 

 

 

“If you wish to be successful in this life know where you want to be, have a dream and chase it, have discipline and have a good network”

by Author of The Great Agony and Pure Laughter of the Gods, Jamala Safali in interview with ENCA’s Gareth Edwards

Transparency International Youth Writing Competition

International participants around the world are invited to participate in Youth Writing Competition which aims to tackle the problems of corruption. For this competition the theme is What can young people do to stop corruption?

§  First - A paid trip to Berlin to participate in a Transparency International event in November; work published on Thomson Reuters Foundation; a tablet computer

§  Second – Work published on Thomson Reuters Foundation; a tablet computer

§  Third – Work published on Thomson Reuters Foundation; up to €250 worth of books

Eligibility & Criteria-

§  student who loves to write or a paid contributor– ever one is encouraged to apply.

§  Be between 18 and 30 years of age on 1 September, 2013

§  Submit a written document in PDF or Word format. No hard copy submissions will be accepted.

§  Be sure that applicants work is unpublished and free from plagiarism

For more information, visit this link

Transparency International Youth Photo Competition

In 1993, a few individuals decided to take a stance against corruption and created Transparency International. Twenty years later – we are continuing the global fight against corruption. Among the activities to ring in Transparency International’s 20th anniversary are a youth writing competition, youth photo competition and live events around the world – all to raise awareness about the corrosive problem of corruption and how it can be tackled. The deadline for this year’s competitions is 1 July 2013.

Transparency International is inviting participants around the world for Youth Photo Competition. The objective of this competition is to  raise awareness about the corrosive problem of corruption and how it can be tackled.

Prize-

• First – A paid trip to Berlin to participate in a Transparency International event in November; up to €1,000 worth of camera equipment; work published on Thomson Reuters Foundation
• Second – work published on Thomson Reuters Foundation; up to €400 worth of camera equipment
• Third – work published on Thomson Reuters Foundation; up to €250 worth of camera equipment

Eligibility & Criteria-

• Every one is encouraged to apply
• Be between 18 and 30 years of age on 1 September, 2013
• Submit a photo in digital format. No print or video submissions will be accepted

For more information, visit this link

11 June 2010-11 June 2013, three years after the tragic death of Mandela's great-grand-daughter

On this day 11 June 2010 as the world and especially Africa were joyfully watching the opening ceremony of the first ever world cup on the soil of Africa, we learned that the former South African President Nelson Mandela who was thought to be going to attend the opening ceremony has pulled out after the death of his great-grand-daughter who was killed in a car crash earlier in the day.

As we remember Zenani Mandela who celebrated her 13^th birthday four days before her tragic death let’s remember her grandfather in our prayers, President Mandela, 94-year-old who spent his fourth night receiving intensive care for a lung infection.

      Mandela withgreat-grand-daughter   Zenani, 13,

who was killed in a car crash. Photograph: Ho/Reuters

Our Madiba Deserves Better

If you scrutinize the reasons behind the hiding of health information regarding African leaders, in most  cases there are dirty reasons. In Malawi, when President Bingu wa Mutharika died of a heart attack in his office, his body was flown to South Africa while his brother was manoeuvring to take reign of the country by force. If it wasn’t for the South African government that pressured the family to say the truth, President Mutharika might be still purported alive, being treated in South Africa. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), when Kabila was mysteriously assassinated by one of his bodyguards in his presidential palace in Kinshasa, it was said that he died at the scene but was flown to Zimbabwe to allow sometime for the planning of unconstitutional succession by his son, Joseph Kabila, the current DRC President.

Few months ago I read an article of Dr Adekeye Adebajo of the Centre for Conflict Resolution in the Mail Guardian in which he broke the news of the passing of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi. To verify the news, a colleague of mine phoned the Ethiopian embassy in Pretoria; they couldn’t confirm nor deny the news. It took them four hours to say that they don’t know. I kept on asking myself how the well-respected Dr Adebajo made a big mistake and announce that Prime Minister Zenawi had passed on without proof, but it seems he knew what he was talking about.  It was after months that Zenawi was declared officially dead.  It is then that I understood that African leaders die twice. There is the first death which they die but their deaths are kept a secret while their family members or allies are exploring ways to disrespect constitutional institutions; the second death is the real one when the machine is already set and the news is broken out and they lie that the President died last night while their families have been mourning for days or weeks. Commenting on the murmuring  of the Ethiopian Government on  Meles Zenawi ‘s whereabouts,  Afua HirschIt of the Guardian said that it is not the first time that an African government has failed to confirm the illness or death of a leader in office, prompting periods of mysterious absence.http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/08/ethiopia-meles-zenawai-not-seen             

Recently, when I was watching news, I was shocked to see the images of our beloved Mandela. What shocked me is not actually his image; it is what President Zuma said. “As you can see Madiba is up and about”, Zuma added that Madiba was in good spirit. After the news, my 14 years old nephew asked me what does  “to be up and about” mean? I told him that it means to be strong. He doubted.  We went to check the dictionary (English is neither our first nor our second language) and find out that “An example of up and about is someone who was ill for a while and confined to her bed, but who is now able to go places and do things again.” My previous definition was almost right, but the boy disputed that the image was not corresponding to what we have just seen and heard from our President. No one expects Mandela at his age to be dancing like Zuma does, but also lying about his health is not helping ANC or anyone. Madiba left politics long-time ago, why do we need SABC camera when visiting him. He deserves better.  If we lie about his health now, what will happen when the inevitable arrives? I guess the government will do as our African countries do. Hiding for months!!!

Looking at the footage of ANC top leaders at Madiba’s home, it looked like a Photoshop image. My nephew still argues that images seen were not consistent, and he kept asking why we never see Madiba’s wife. It is being rumoured that she is also being side-lined when it comes to her husband’s health issue. South Africa should be a good example in EVERYTHING to the rest of Africa.

 

Win a grant of R1 000 000.00 for your innovative project!!!Deadline is TODAY

The SAB Foundation Innovation Awards has been established with the objective of rewarding and upscaling innovative sustainable solutions to the pressing daily challenges facing low-income people, specifically women, the youth, people with disabilities, and people living in rural areas in order to improve economic growth and prosperity and the quality of life of all South Africans.

 

The main award is a grant of R1 000 000.00 (one million Rand) to the winner, and there are 2 runners-up awards of a R500 000.00 (five hundred thousand Rand) grant each.

 

In addition, several seed grants will be awarded. Additional categories of awards exist for entries from women, youth, people in rural areas and people with disabilities. The grant includes funding for the upscaling and commercialisation of the innovation solution, a process which will be supported

by the SAB Foundation over a period of two years or longer, as needed.

 

During the final application stage, shortlisted applicants need to present an indicative budget of how they would spend this grant money along these lines. The size of the grants is designed to allow for substantive progress to be made by the winners.

 

Entries for the Innovation Awards 2013 are welcomed from (but not limited to) individual innovators, entrepreneurs, NGOs, corporate foundations, Corporate Social Investment professionals, consulting firms and university departments.  

 

The closing date for entries is midnight on Tuesday 7th May 2013. Entries can be directed to Nicola.Jowell@za.sabmiller.com or delivered to SAB Central Office, 65 Park Lane, Sandton c/o Zanele Ngoqo or couriered to SAB Foundation, 65 Park Lane, Sandton, 2146 c/o Zanele Ngoqo. To download the forms click on the following link:

http://www.sab.co.za/sablimited/content/en/sabfoundation-projects?oid=2917&sn=Detail&pid=2208 

Kindly note that the closing date is today midnight

Trains in China

GSMA mWomen Innovation Fund

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators with more than 230 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.

GSMA is calling for concept notes for its mWomen Innovation Fund grants for non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The goal of the GSMA mWomen Programme is to promote greater mobile access and usage by resource-poor women in low- and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, and Asia Pacific.

The objectives of the Innovation Fund for NGOs are to provide seed funding in order to:

• Accelerate the use of mobile technology to achieve development-related goals, specifically the empowerment of resource-poor women;
• Provide solutions to the barriers to women’s adoption and use of mobile phones and VAS;
• Generate lessons and models of success which can be shared with the wider development community, as well as mobile operators; and
• Stimulate productive partnerships between NGOs and mobile operators in order to achieve these objectives at scale.

This round of grants is dedicated to NGOs (including social enterprises), working in partnership with mobile network operators.  Its objectives are to:

• Provide seed funding to support the design and launch of innovative products, services, marketing approaches and distribution mechanisms aimed at increasing women’s access to mobile and use of life-enhancing mobile services;
• Generate lessons and models of success which can be shared with the wider development community and the mobile industry; and
• Stimulate productive partnerships between NGOs and mobile network operators.

This round of grants is open only to NGOs.

The next round of grants for mobile network operators will be launched in the second half of 2013.

This round is comprised of three matching grants, valued up to US$140 000 for projects up to ten months long. The grants are intended to provide seed funding for NGOs, working in partnership with mobile network operators, to design and launch products, value added services, marketing campaigns and/or distribution mechanisms (‘offerings’) that will increase women’s access to and use of mobile and life-enhancing services.
For more about the mWomen Innovation Fund, refer to: http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/gsma-mwomen-innovation-fund-grant-documentation-ngos-april-2013