Updated 7.54pm
SINN FÉIN PRESIDENT Gerry Adams was chosen to take part in a guard of honour for Nelson Mandela in South Africa this morning.
The Louth TD said that he was “privileged” to be part of the official ANC ceremony after the body of the former leader was handed over by the South African military to his former political party.
More than 1,000 members of the ANC, including president Jacob Zuma, attended the event which included a multi-faith service and a musical tribute.
Sinn Féin party colleague Richard McAuley – the frequently-mentioned “RG” in Gerry Adams’s tweets – also took part in the ceremony.
Adams tweeted yesterday that Mandela was his hero and that he was honoured to be in South Africa.
(Video: sinnfeinireland/YouTube)
“We were honoured and privileged to be part of [the] Guard of Honour for Madiba today,” Adams said.
Nelson Mandela will be buried in his home village of Qunu following a state funeral tomorrow.
A military aircraft carrying Mandela’s casket this afternoon arrived in his native Eastern Cape province ahead of tomorrow’s burial.
More than 100,000 people are estimated to have seen the former president’s body lying in state in Pretoria over the last three days.
-Additional reporting by AFP
Originally published 1.34pm
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