CELEBRATION OF LIFE IN SOWETO AS PREPARATIONS BEGINS FOR MANDELA FUNERAL

Residents of Soweto, the bedrock of black resistance against apartheid rule, sang and danced as they paid their respects to the late peace icon Nelson Mandela outside his former home on Friday.

A small crowd of admirers, some dressed in the ruling ANC party’s yellow t-shirts, braved an unseasonal chilly summer morning to lay flowers outside Mandela’s former residence, which is now a museum and a popular tourist attraction.

Also preparations began Friday for the state funeral of South Africa’s liberation hero Nelson Mandela, as the world mourned the peace icon’s passing.

Heads of state from around the world, including US President Barack Obama, and well-known personalities who were close to the statesman like Oprah Winfrey and Bill and Hillary Clinton are expected to attend.

Mandela, who died late Thursday after a long battle against lung infection, will lie in state at the seat of government the Union Buildings in the capital Pretoria.