Pretoria - Thousands of people who turned up at the park and ride facilities are starting to make their way back home following the shutting down of transportation to the Union Buildings to view the late former President Nelson Mandela’s body.
The mourners came in their numbers on Friday, hoping to bid their last farewell to the statesman. However, as the day progressed, the park and ride facilities became full, making it impossible for people to be safely transported to the Union Buildings.
SA Police Service spokesperson, Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale confirmed that people were turned away and were starting to leave the facilities.
“Most were turned back but some didn’t move as they were hoping that there might be a change on the decision to stop transportation, but they have accepted the situation and are starting to make their way back home,” Makgale told SAnews.
Since the start of the lying in state on Wednesday, the response has been overwhelming, with 12 000-14 000 people paying homage to Madiba on day one, and with two people passing every three seconds on day two.
At 7:30am this morning, there were thousands of people at the various park and ride facilities - 10 000 at the Fountains Valley Circle; 25 000 at the Pretoria Showgrounds; 7 000 at the LC de Villiers Sports Centre and 8 000 at the Union Buildings. – SAnews.gov.za
