A row of buses stood waiting at the drop-off point at East London airport late on Saturday 14 December and dozens of police officers stood in groups outside and inside the terminal, as visitors trickled in steadily through the gates ahead of former president Nelson Mandela's funeral on Sunday.
A row of buses stood waiting at the drop-off point at East London airport late on Saturday 14 December and dozens of police officers stood in groups outside and inside the terminal, as visitors trickled in steadily through the gates ahead of former president Nelson Mandela's funeral on Sunday.
An official said the day had been a who's who of the world's celebrities.
Among those who passed through the modest airport today were Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, and Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams.
Causing some consternation was the delayed arrival of talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Expected earlier on Saturday she had still not arrived by 6pm.
VIPs were escorted to buses outside the terminal and whisked directly to Qunu.
With security specialists and others working at the airport throughout the night, VIPs were expected to continue to arrive during the next eight hours – many of them by private chartered aircraft.
A large contingent of traffic officials stood watch at intersections and along the road from the airport into East London late on Saturday afternoon.
