Mandela hails Sisulu as 'mother' of South Africa's people (AFP)

SOWETO, South Africa (AFP) – Nelson Mandela praised anti-apartheid heroine Albertina Sisulu as "the mother of all our people", as political leaders and thousands of ordinary South Africans mourned her death.

President Jacob Zuma, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Zambian independence leader Kenneth Kaunda and Mandela's wife Graca Machel were among the 3,000 people at Sisulu's funeral in an historic Soweto football stadium.

Notably absent was Mandela himself, who at 92 is increasingly frail and rarely appears in public. He delivered his condolences in a message read by Machel, calling Sisulu "one of the greatest South Africans".

Albertina Sisulu died on June 2 at her Johannesburg home at the age of 92. Her husband Walter was Mandela's political mentor, and their decades of marriage endured endless harassment by apartheid authorities to stand as one of South Africa's great love stories.

After the funeral service, she was buried in a nearby cemetery in a plot next to her husband, who died in her arms in 2003. The four-hour funeral and the burial that followed were broadcast live on television.

Albertina Sisulu was one of Mandela's last surviving contemporaries, a fact he acknowledged with obvious grief in his statement.

"The years have taken the toll as one by one friends and comrades passed on. Every time it seems as part of oneself is being cut off," he said. "None of those cuts could have been more painful than the loss of this dear friend, you, my beloved sister."

"You provided leadership and exercised power with quiet dignity. Through your selflessness and dedication, through your moral authority and sincere humanity, during and after the struggle, you rightly earned to be the mother of all our people," Mandela said.

His statement was greeted with rapturous applause, singing and dancing in the crowd, which lasted for several minutes before the service returned to the more solemn proceedings marked by hymns and prayer.

Zuma took the podium, singing the anti-apartheid hymn "Thina Sizwe", before hailing her as a model of integrity in the face of persecution.

"One of the most steadfast, dignified and disciplined pillars of our struggle has fallen, an era has ended, and the nation is devastated," Zuma said.

"Despite the persecution, Mama Sisulu remained an epitome of grace, dignity and discipline. She did not let bitterness engulf her heart. She remained focused on the mission of achieving freedom and justice," Zuma said.

Government provided 500 buses and seven trains to ferry people to Orlando Stadium, a landmark that was often a focal point in the apartheid struggle but was recently modernised for the football World Cup.

During her life, Sisulu was hounded by the apartheid authorities, repeatedly jailed, and "banned" -- a penalty that limited her movements and her visitors.

But she lived to experience the end of white-minority rule, serving one term in the new non-racial parliament herself and seeing her children rise to top positions in government.

Her daughter Lindiwe is defence minister, her son Max is the speaker of the National Assembly, and another daughter Beryl is ambassador to Norway.

Yahoo! News

South Africa's infirm Mandela to vote at home (AFP)

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – South Africa's aged ex-president Nelson Mandela will vote at home Monday for this week's local elections, the voting authority announced, in a special arrangement for the infirm.

The iconic 92-year-old anti-apartheid hero, South Africa's first black president, is under home-based care after being hospitalised for two days in January for an acute respiratory infection.

"He is one of the people who will casting special votes today," Independent Election Commission spokeswoman Kate Bapela said.

The country votes on Wednesday in local elections in which service delivery has become a hot issue, with frustration towards the ruling African National Congress building over inadequate power, water and housing.

The ANC, which has dominated South African politics since the end of apartheid in 1994, is nonetheless expected to sweep the elections.

Mandela has not been seen in public since he was discharged from hospital but information released in February said he was in stable condition.

Monday's special vote is reserved for the "physically infirm or disabled" and people performing critical services like the police, the commission said.

Mandela was elected the country's first black president in South Africa's first all-race vote in 1994 and served one term before stepping down in 1999.

Yahoo! News

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Ladysmith Black Mambazo Sustain South Africa's Voice Through Music

You know them from 'The Lion King' soundtrack, but Nelson Mandela once called them "South Africa's cultural ambassadors." Since then, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has continued to take Mandela's message of peace and spread it around the world.

For an a cappella group that began in 1973 and won three Grammys, Ladysmith's voice is still resilient and timeless. Original member Albert Mazibuko tells PopEater the group strives to sing to more generations to come, especially with new album 'Songs from a Zulu Farm' on the way.

What did it mean to you when Nelson Mandela referred to you as cultural ambassadors of your nation?
This was the highest honor for us. To be singled out by Nelson Mandela told us that we needed to look at ourselves, as a group, differently. We truly represented our nation and had to continuously understand that responsibility.

What kind of responses do you see while touring internationally? Was it always open arms, or was it hard to translate a South African sound?
It seemed, and still seems, that people truly open their arms and minds to what we do. People understand we represent our nation and culture and want to share this with everyone. People seem to want to embrace what we offer.

Do you see the group as more about music or sending a message, acting as teachers?
That is an interesting question. I think the message is most important, but we use the music to deliver the message. And in doing so we want to be teachers. It's really all as one -- very intertwined for us. I guess we see ourselves as teachers bringing a message through our singing.

Watch a live performance by Ladysmith Black Mambazo:

How's the progress with the Mambazo Academy? Is it completely built yet?
Sadly, the progress is very slow. There are so many things changing in South Africa and only a little bit of money to go around. We do spend most of our spare time, when we are home, teaching the young ones about the culture and its history. But doing so in an organized academy has not occurred.

You've collaborated with so many notable musicians like Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney and Paul Simon. What's your best memory from those experiences?
Yes, we have been honored to be asked by so many famous and important people, so to pick just one out is very difficult. Of course the Paul Simon memory is the most important for us. We recently worked with Josh Groban, and I think this was different because he is of a new generation, and when we met him he showed that he really loved what we do. So knowing our singing has affected a new generation of artists was touching.

You've also provided music for so many films. Do you find it surreal that moviegoers see these movies and hear your voice without knowing it?
I've met people who say, "I saw this movie and it sounded like the filmmakers copied your sound for the film," and it turns out it was us. So it is funny to see people's reactions when they learn that what they heard was actually us.

The group has shifted over the years. Which years had the best ensemble?
Well, the group we are now has been pretty steady since 1993. Since then we lost a couple of members, but 1993 was important to us. That is when our leader, Joseph Shabalala, had three of his sons join the group. This is the next generation of Mambazo. So, after us older fellas move along they will carry on for many years. Joseph has said the group is more than one or two people. It's a cultural entity that should continue on for decades.

Do you compare your success at all to that of Buena Vista Social Club? If so, what do you think of them?
I've heard of that group but I do not know their music. I think there is a community of cultural groups that should continue on for many years. They are truly one of them. I know the Chieftans too. And the Blind Boys of Alabama. I'm glad to know all of these groups have success.

Is there any kind of new music today that you like? American pop music, perhaps?
It seems a new sound or style comes along every few years, and it all has something interesting to say. I like hearing where music goes, how it changes, the sounds and styles. I have to say I most enjoy simple singing. I don't like when they use machines to manipulate voices. Pure vocal is the most beautiful sound to listen to, I feel.

Popeater

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