Obama and his wife, Michelle, will be joined by the former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W Bush. Also attending are David Cameron, Ban Ki-moon, assorted princes and princesses, and celebrities including Bono, Oprah Winfrey and the Spice Girls. Mandela dubbed the last his "heroes" after meeting the pop group 16 years ago.
Clayson Monyela, South Africa's head of public diplomacy, tweeted: "Pope John Paul's funeral brought together 70 heads of state & 14 leaders of other regions. With #Mandela we're already over 91 & counting."
On Monday workers were inside the 95,000-capacity FNB stadium welding scaffolding for a stage and installing bulletproof glass to protect foreign leaders. Ground crews cut the grass in front of the venue, dubbed the "calabash" because of its shape. The stadium, where Mandela made his last public appearance, at the closing ceremony of the 2010 football World Cup, is expected to fill rapidly on Tuesday, posing a huge security and logistical challenge for South African authorities.
All police leave has been cancelled and thousands of officers called up to direct traffic, protect mourners and help the bodyguards of visiting dignitaries.
Government minister Collins Chabane said officials could not guess how many people would attend or would try to enter the stadium. "Once we see that the numbers are becoming unmanageable … access will be denied," he said.
Chabane appealed to those who were turned away to "respond with decency", pointing out that spillover venues with big screens had been set up.
【纳尔逊·曼德拉的追悼会——宿敌聚首】相关文章:
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