Preparations for Nelson Mandela's funeral begin

PRETORIA: The body of South Africa's anti- apartheid legend Nelson Mandela was today taken to a military hospital here as preparations for the state funeral of the peace icon began.

Mandela, South Africa's liberation hero and the first democratically elected president, died early today at his home in Johannesburg after battling a protracted illness.

Mandela will lie in state at the seat of government the Union Buildings in the capital Pretoria.

The 95-year-old spent almost three months in hospital this year after being admitted to the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital in June with a recurring lung infection. He was discharged in September and was receiving home-based medical care.

Zuma has ordered that all flags of the country fly at half-mast and remain that way until after the burial ceremony, the South African Government News Agency reported.