Qunu – The Mthatha Airport will be able to receive any flight landing there for the funeral service of former President Nelson Mandela this coming weekend, Eastern Cape Premier Noxolo Kiviet said on Thursday.
Some media had expressed doubt over the airport’s capacity to handle bigger aircrafts that will carry dignitaries attending the funeral in Qunu on Sunday.
But in an interview with SAnews in the Eastern Cape, Kiviet assured visitors that the airport, which has just been renovated, can accommodate any size of a Boeing but that the only challenge could be parking space.
Contingency plans had been made for some flights to drop off the dignitaries and fly to East London and Bisho where parking space will be provided. The airport usually receives two planes from Johannesburg daily, but traffic is expected to increase this week ahead of the state funeral.
“It will be a drop off for some that do not have space, there is no crisis as we had just renovated this airport and so it meets all the international safety standards,” Kiviet said.
Security has also been tightened and the army has effectively taken control of the airport. During a visit to the airport, SAnews spoke to different police officers and army officials, who said they were guarding the airport 24-hours a day. The airport was also accommodating flights only coming from Johannesburg.
“We want to ensure that nobody is compromised, all our dignitaries will be able to land safely and security around them is guaranteed.”
Heavy rains and mist over Mthatha made it impossible for several flights to land at the airport on Wednesday and flights were diverted to East London airport.
SAnews has learned that a plane carrying some members of the Mandela family, who were scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, had to be diverted to East London after the pilot was advised not to land in Mthatha.
With thousands of people said to be planning to travel to Qunu this weekend, Kiviet urged Eastern Cape people to rather watch the funeral on the 18 public viewing areas the government has set up across the province.
“We advise people not to even think of going to Qunu because it’s going to be difficult for them."
Government in Pretoria this week also issued the same request calling on people to rather watch the funeral at home and on public viewing screens.
Kiviet said for Qunu residents, there will be three public viewing areas, while the other three will be set up in Mthatha.
As the big funeral day drew closer, people continued to pay their tributes to Mandela who died on 5 December.
Hundreds of Qunu residents braved the rainy weather to line the village streets on Thursday chanting songs praising their fallen hero.
Mandela grew up in Qunu after his parents relocated from the nearby Mvezo village. At the school where the former president attended as a young boy, several messages of love were on display while posters with Mandela’s face were seen hanging on fences and street poles and on the walls at some houses.
Qunu was very close to Madiba’s heart and no doubt he will be dearly missed here.
In his later years he spent most of his time at his home in the village and it became a tradition that whenever he was around there would be some kind of activity taking place at the family residence.
Nolusapho Gibisela, who lives a few meters away from Mandela’s house, recalled when Mandela invited children from the village to his home on Christmas day every year where children would be given gifts and had the opportunity to play with tata.
“This became a tradition in Qunu and whenever tata is around children will be called to go see him and no child will leave that house empty handed and that’s how our children got to know him.
“The whole village was saddened to learn of his passing but we were not shocked. He was an old man who had done his work on earth, he completed the task.” – SAnews.gov.za
