He is to be accorded a state funeral on Sunday 15 December, President Jacob Zuma announced.
Mr Mandela, who died on Thursday aged 95, spent 27 years in jail before becoming South Africa's first black president in 1994.
1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
1943 Joins ANC
1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped after a four-year trial
1962 Jailed for five years for incitement and leaving country without a passport
1964 Charged with sabotage, sentenced to life
1990 Freed from prison
1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
1994-99 Serves as president
2004 Retires from public life
2010 Last major public appearance at football World Cup in Johannesburg
His administration replaced the
racist white-minority regime that had enforced segregation of black and
white people in a policy known as apartheid.
Mr Mandela went on to become one of the world's most respected statesmen.South Africans across the country have been saying prayers, singing anti-apartheid songs and lighting candles.
Hundreds are gathered outside Mr Mandela's home in Johannesburg's northern suburb of Houghton where he died, and thousands of flowers laid outside have begun to resemble a wall.
They have been sharing memories of the former leader, recounting how they drew inspiration from his life.
A stage has been erected near the house, from where priests have led the crowd in prayers.
One of his grandsons. Mbuso Mandela, laid wreaths in his grandfather's memory.
People have also been gathering before the Union Buildings in the administrative capital Pretoria.
"I was born after he became president and I just remember the South Africa he left to us, the South Africa he gave to us," one mourner at the site was quoted as saying by Reuters.
"So today will be a good day to give him, some flowers to remember him and the South Africa he fought for."
President Zuma visited the house on Friday to pay his respects.
At a news conference, Mr Zuma outlined a week of events to mourn the former president.
- Sunday will be an official day of prayer and reflection with special religious services
- On Tuesday, a service of national mourning will be held at a 95,000-seater stadium on the outskirts of Johannesburg
- Mr Mandela's body will lie in state from Wednesday to Friday in the capital, Pretoria
Hundreds have attended an interfaith remembrance service outside Cape Town's City Hall. The Johannesburg stock exchange suspended operations for five minutes on Friday as a mark of respect.
"We sincerely thank all South Africans for the dignified manner in which they have respected and responded to the monumental loss of this international icon," Mr Zuma said.
Speaking in Cape Town, Mr Mandela's long-time ally, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, described him as an "incredible gift" to South Africa.
"He taught us extraordinarily practical lessons about forgiveness, compassion and reconciliation."
He also cited Mr Mandela's weaknesses, including "his steadfast loyalty to his organisation and some of his colleagues who ultimately let him down".
Mr Mandela had been receiving treatment at home for a recurring lung illness since September, when he was discharged from hospital.
As soon as the news of his death broke late on Thursday, small crowds began to gather in Soweto's Vilakazi Street, where Mr Mandela lived in the 1940s and 1950s.
Across the world, leaders, celebrities and members of the public have been paying tribute
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