US President Barack Obama said Nelson Mandela lived "a life like no other"
Tens
of thousands of South Africans have joined dozens of world leaders for
the national memorial service for former President Nelson Mandela.
The service was held in front of a vociferous crowd in the FNB stadium in Johannesburg.US President Barack Obama said Mr Mandela was a "giant of history", describing him as the last great liberator of the 20th Century.
The former South African president died last Thursday, aged 95.
The country is observing a series of commemorations leading up to the funeral on Sunday.
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"It took a man like Madiba to free not just the prisoner but
the jailer," US President Barack Obama said, to a standing ovation. He
said Nelson Mandela embodied the spirit of "uBuntu", which means "I am
because you are".
Thousands braved the unseasonably cold weather and rain to pay their respects to the country's first black president at the FNB stadium in Soweto. This is where he addressed the nation on the day of his release in 1990.
The crowds were in high spirits but were asked to "behave" after booing President Jacob Zuma a number of times. But despite a difficult start, President Zuma delivered his message, describing Madiba as "truly one of a kind".
He said Mr Mandela was a kind man but had a sharp tongue, especially when it came to something he believed in. Mr Zuma will have been relieved to hear some cheering at the end of the speech.
'A mighty life'
At the scene
Thousands braved the unseasonably cold weather and rain to pay their respects to the country's first black president at the FNB stadium in Soweto. This is where he addressed the nation on the day of his release in 1990.
The crowds were in high spirits but were asked to "behave" after booing President Jacob Zuma a number of times. But despite a difficult start, President Zuma delivered his message, describing Madiba as "truly one of a kind".
He said Mr Mandela was a kind man but had a sharp tongue, especially when it came to something he believed in. Mr Zuma will have been relieved to hear some cheering at the end of the speech.
- Mandela memorial binds South Africans
The memorial service, which began at about 12:00 (10:00 GMT), lasted about four hours.
It was one of the biggest gatherings of international
dignitaries in recent years, with more than 100 current or former heads
of state or government attending.There had been fears people would be turned away. But with heavy rain, security and transport issues, and the fact that Tuesday was not declared a national holiday, areas of the 95,000-capacity stadium remained empty.
Introducing the proceedings, the master of ceremonies, Cyril Ramaphosa, said that Mr Mandela's "long walk is over... and he can finally rest".
Current South African President Jacob Zuma made the keynote address but was booed in some parts of the ceremony.
He said Mr Mandela was "one of a kind... a fearless freedom fighter who refused to allow the brutality of the apartheid state to stand in way of the struggle for the liberation of his people".
Mr Zuma announced he was renaming the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where Mr Mandela will lie in state, as the Mandela Amphitheatre.
Earlier Mr Obama delivered his address, carried on the White House web site, to huge cheers. He said: "It is hard to eulogise any man... how much harder to do so for a giant of history, who moved a nation towards justice."
He said Nelson Mandela had taught the world the power of action and the power of ideas, and that it had taken a man like Mr Mandela to free not only the prisoner but also the jailer.
The BBC's Christian Parkinson spent a day with crowds travelling to the memorial
On his way to the podium, President Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro, an unprecedented gesture between the leaders of two nations that have been at loggerheads for more than half a century.
A White House official later said the two had not planned to meet.
"This wasn't a pre-planned encounter," the official said, quoted by AFP news agency.
"Above all else, today is about honouring Nelson Mandela, and that was the president's singular focus at the memorial service. We appreciate that people from all over the world are participating in this ceremony."
Barack Obama was cheered as he acknowledged the crowd