Qunu , South Africa ( CNN ) -- Ten days of mourning for South Africa 's anti-apartheid icon and former leader Nelson Mandela will come to an end Sunday with his state funeral . After Tuesday 's vibrant , if rain-drenched , memorial service , followed by three days of public viewing of the former president 's casket in Pretoria , the burial will be a slightly more private affair . About 100,000 people have paid homage to Mandela in those three days , including 50,000 who came to pay their respects Friday , the South African government said . Here is how CNN expects events to unfold , based on information from the government and sources involved in planning for the funeral -- although plans may change because of weather , security and other factors . Return to the Eastern Cape . A military plane carrying Mandela 's body flew Saturday from an air force base in Pretoria to South Africa 's Eastern Cape province , where Mandela 's ancestral village of Qunu lies . The family farm there will be his final resting place . President Jacob Zuma and other members of South Africa 's ruling party , the African National Congress , gathered to bid Mandela farewell from the air force base . `` We will miss him . He was our leader in a special time , '' said Zuma . Mandela 's casket , draped in the national flag , was carried by soldiers to the plane . Thousands of mourners lined the streets from Mthatha Airport , the closest to Qunu , as Mandela 's remains were transported to the remote village where he spent much of his childhood . Traditional ceremony and vigil . Once at Mandela 's house in Qunu , the military was expected formally to pass responsibility for his remains to his family . The South African flag draped over the coffin will be replaced with a tribal symbol of the Xhosa people , symbolizing the return of one of their own . At dusk , ANC leaders , local chiefs and the men in Mandela 's family are expected to gather for a private night vigil , held according to the traditions of the Thembu community , his native clan , before a public funeral the next day . Villagers may gather outside the house to pay their respects . The coffin will lie in Mandela 's bedroom overnight . The room overlooks the hills around Qunu and his grave site . Who 's attending . Foreign leaders were encouraged to attend Tuesday 's memorial service in Johannesburg . Nonetheless , dozens of international dignitaries are expected to make their way to the Eastern Cape for Mandela 's funeral . The airport in East London , south of Qunu , will be used for their arrival and departure , with access closely controlled . Notable figures thought to be on the guest list include Britain 's Prince Charles , TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey and U.S. civil rights activist the Rev . Jesse Jackson . There 's no doubting the global media interest . More than 4,000 journalists had been accredited as of Friday morning , with more expected , a government spokeswoman said . However , only the national broadcaster will be given access to the funeral , with other journalists in Qunu to be based at the Nelson Mandela Museum . The event will be broadcast to an audience of millions around the world . The funeral . A private family prayer service will be held Sunday morning at Mandela 's home . The funeral will then be held in a huge white tent set up at the family farm . The Mandela family , President Zuma and Cabinet members will be present as well as local and foreign dignitaries . About 4,500 people are expected . The military will again be charged with draping Mandela 's coffin with the flag . Members of the military will perform a salute , and the national anthem will be played . The burial . A group of family and close friends , expected to number about 430 , will walk up to the grave site to bid a final farewell to the man many saw as the father of their nation . About 2 p.m. -- when the summer sun is high in the sky -- Mandela will be laid to rest in the rocky soil of his childhood home . The burial area has been especially built for him ; some of Mandela 's long deceased family members are already buried at the site . It will be , according to custom , a homecoming . His grave site is surrounded by rocky outcrops , hardy grass used for the grazing of cattle and bright orange aloe plants . The aloes are indigenous succulents that are hardy , drought-resistant , medicinal plants that bloom across the bushveld when all else is dry and dull . They can be seen as a symbolic floral gesture to a man whose life was filled with sacrifice and tragedy but who triumphed with a tenacity of spirit and hope in even the darkest of days . Security . With so many high-profile guests in South Africa for Mandela 's state funeral , security has been a key concern . Zuma has authorized nearly 12,000 members of the South African National Defence Force to serve alongside the police force `` to maintain law and order '' during the funeral period , the presidency said . They are employed for 15 days , from December 6 to December 20 . A tight military cordon is expected around the funeral site to assuage security fears . CNN 's Robyn Curnow reported from inside the Mandela compound in Qunu , and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London .
NEW : Mandela 's body reaches the village of South Africa 's , in South Africa 's the Eastern Cape province . Cabinet leaders , local chiefs and the men in Jesse Jackson 's family will hold a private vigil . dozens people will attend the funeral Sunday on the family farm . The funeral service will be followed by a smaller burial ceremony .