Johannesburg: President Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Johannesburg to attend a memorial service in honour of South Africa's anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, whose death triggered an unprecedented outpour of rich tributes worldwide.
Mukherjee will join the heads of governments and states from more than 53 countries, including U.S .President Barack Obama, in the two-hour long memorial service to be held at a 95,000-seat FNB Stadium, where Mandela made his last major public appearance during the 2010 football World Cup.
He is one of only six heads of state who will address the crowd at the memorial service. He will join Obama, Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff, Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia and Raul Castro of Cuba as well as Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao on the podium to address the crowd.
Mandela, 95, who had been suffering from a recurring lung infection and a prolonged spell of ill-health, died on December 5.
President Mukherjee is accompanied by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury and BSP leader Satish Mishra, reflecting the high-esteem Mandela held across the entire political spectrum in India.
Mukherjee summed up the mood when he said shortly before leaving for Johannesburg that his visit to South Africa "reflects the high degree of love and respect which Dr Mandela commanded in India."
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