REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JOHANNESBURG -- The cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria are fully gearing up for memorial events commemorating former president Nelson Mandela who died on Dec. 5 at the age of 95.

Johannesburg has offered the public free transport and park-and- rides to accommodate mourners and ensure that they are able to get to the stadiums on time, Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane told reporters.

The official memorial service, which will be held in FNB Stadium in the city on Dec. 10, will bring together more than 70 heads of state and government. How to accommodate the large number of high profile guest will be a huge challenge to the city.

Due to the fact that not all mourners may be able to be accommodated at FNB Stadium, neighbouring stadium have been turned overflow venues, said Mokonyane.

These include Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg, Orlando and Dobsonville stadiums in the city's black township of Soweto.

"Once the FNB Stadium is full, mourners will be directed to other stadiums and so mourners are also encouraged to listen to their local radio stations and follow social media."

In Pretoria, preparations are also in full swing, with planned road closures, refurbishment of key routes, replacement of traffic signals and street cleaning.

Mandela's body will lie in state in the Union Buildings in Pretoria for three days after the memorial service. Then the body will be flown to Qunu, Eastern Cape for burial on Dec. 15.

"In preparation for the activities, the leadership of the City has taken a decision to close some streets temporarily in the CBD, " City Executive Head of Public Affairs Blessing Manale said.

"We would like to ensure that all South African citizens and foreign nationals who will be in our city during the funeral preparations feel welcome in the city, by easing up traffic and making movement easier for them."

Pretoria has activated response teams in Emergency Services, Disaster Management and Metro Police to manage the potential hotspots such as the Church Square, the Union Buildings and Madiba Street Park that are the natural attraction points for national mourning and expression of sorrow.

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