World / Nelson Mandela Mandela's Body Lies in State Thousands pay their respects in Pretoria By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Posted Dec 11, 2013 7:29 AM CST Copied Defense force personnel and hospital staff salute a procession for former South African president Nelson Mandela as it leaves the military hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) See 22 more photos Thousands of visitors—ordinary people, dignitaries, and a few celebrities—are thronging the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president of South Africa and where his body is lying in state today. His casket was greeted by a military honor guard upon its arrival, and will remain there for three days; the funeral will be held Sunday in Mandela's childhood home of Qunu. The New York Times notes that "the mood was more muted" than at yesterday's memorial ceremony. (More Nelson Mandela stories.) Report an error