Rwandans pay tribute to Mandela

Hundreds of people yesterday convened at Eglise Regina Pacis de Remera, Kigali for a memorial service in honour of former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, who passed on a week ago.The ceremony, which started at 2.30p.m, attracted Rwandan officials and ordinary citizens, diplomats accredited to Rwanda, and other foreigners based in Kigali.Mandela will be laid to rest in his ancestral home of Qunu, Eastern Cape in South Africa, tomorrow.Yesterday’s memorial service was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the South African High Commission in Kigali.Rwanda has been observing five days of mourning in honour of the late freedom fighter, with the national flags flying at half-mast beginning Tuesday until this Sunday.President Kagame was yesterday in South Africa where he paid his last respects to departed hero.At Remera, a minute of silence was observed and candles lit in remembrance of Mandela.Speaker after speaker commended the first post-apartheid South African president for his great contribution towards Africa’s liberation and his pursuit of reconciliation and justice for all.Louise Mushikiwabo, the foreign affairs minister, who was the chief mourner, described Mandela as a special leader who will always be remembered for his great accomplishments. “He was a leader like no other; he was a hero who distinguished himself from others.”She said that Rwanda and South Africa share a lot in common, especially the commitment to rebuilding themselves after destructive pasts. At the time South Africa was emerging from apartheid in April, 1994, Rwanda was descending into a genocide that would claim the lives of at one million people in a space of three months.Citing Mandela’s “extraordinary ability” to forgive his tormentors and move ahead with reconciling and rebuilding his people and country, Mushikiwabo said Mandela’s departure is a great loss to the world.Mandela, who died at age 95, was released in 1990 after spending 27 years in prison for his campaign against the apartheid system.In his sermon, Kigali Archbishop Thadee Ntihinyurwa described the former South African leader as God-send, a person who was one a mission to liberate his people from captivity.He compared Mandela to Jesus’ disciples because of his sacrifices.“He was not only a politician; I think he was Jesus’ disciple who dedicated his life to the struggle of freedom, unity and justice. His journey on earth will always be remembered and God should rest his soul in peace,” the Catholic cleric eulogised the global icon.The South African High Commissioner to Rwanda, George Twala Nkosinathi, gave a brief biography of the late Mandela, highlighting his commitment to the unity of South Africans as and justice for all people, regardless of their race.Pascal Ndizeye, a Rwandan who lived in South Africa during 1990s, recalled how the blacks used to be denied opportunities such as education until Mandela led the country to a new era in 1994 when he was elected the country’s first black president.

National

Rwandans pay tribute to Mandela