People gathered early Friday morning outside of Cape Town's City Hall to remember Nelson Mandela. They laid flowers, prayed, signed their names, danced and sang popular anthems from the anti-apartheid struggle.

“We are crying, but we are also celebrating his legacy,” said Mbuyi Nase. “That great man, he came and was a role model to each and every one.”

Nase said Madiba, as he was affectionately known, was a unifier, and Nase hoped others would take up Mandela’s baton and move forward.

Gibron Collins, a life-long resident of Cape Town, said he was tearful when he awoke Friday morning and heard the news of Mandela’s passing. “He was my biggest icon,” Collins said. “He dedicated his life, and his whole soul was into the people of South Africa … I will miss him dearly.”

Memorial sites sprang up around the country. And an interfaith service was planned for Friday evening in Cape Town's Grand Parade.