FNB crowd celebrate Mandela's life

The crowd jumped and chanted: "Amandla awethu! Long live."

The mood was festive at the FNB Stadium, south of Johannesburg, on Tuesday morning ahead of the official memorial service for former president Nelson Mandela.

The crowd jumped and chanted: "Amandla awethu! Long live."

Some people stayed away from work and others closed their businesses to be at the stadium.

"I did not go to work," said Abel Moeng.

He said he had an arrangement with his employer that he would work on Saturday for the day he took off to be at the memorial service.

"Saturday is my off day. I opted not to go to work to honour Mandela."

Businessman Stephen Salmon from Cresta, Randburg, said he closed his business to be at the stadium.

"Mandela was a great mentor. He is like Mahatma Ghandi, he is a reconciliator," he said.

Tshepo Moeketsi from Magaliesburg near Krugersdorp said his presence at the stadium was a great honour.

"How do you pay back a man like Madiba, no amount of money can pay his love for his people. I had to be here to pay my respects and thank Tata for what he had done for us."

He said he was unemployed and would have stayed away from work if he was employed.

"It's supposed to be a special holiday so people should not worry about work," he said.

The memorial is scheduled to get under way at 11am.

Mandela died at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg, on Thursday at the age of 95.