"I take Madiba in my prayers all the time and may his soul rest in peace. Madiba is like a role model to me, we grew up watching him as a young kid, you know."
6. Wide of man praying on his knees, ponte tower in background
South Africans gathered on a hillside overlooking Johannesburg early on Sunday to pray for Nelson Mandela, as a national day of reflection got underway for the former president.
Those who turned out went down on their knees to pray for Mandela.
"I take Madiba in my prayers all the time and may his soul rest in peace," said Blessed Dube, who was among those on the hillside.
"Madiba is like a role model to me, we grew up watching him as a young kid, you know."
Official services honouring Mandela begin on Tuesday with a major memorial planned at FNB Stadium on the edge of Johannesburg's Soweto township.
A state funeral will be held for Mandela in his hometown of Qunu on 15 December.
The body of the anti-apartheid leader will rest in state on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the seat of government power in South Africa's capital.
