“It is with sadness that I leave for South Africa to attend the State Memorial Service in honour of Dr. Nelson Mandela who left his worldly abode on 5 December 2013,” President Mukherjee said in a statement prior to his departure.

The delegation comprises of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, Union Commerce and Industries Minister Anand Sharma, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury and BSP leader Satish Mishta.

Senior officials from Ministry of External Affairs and Rashtrapati Bhavan would be accompanying the delegation to pay homage to the anti-apartheid leader, who died on December 5 at the age of 95.

“Participation in the Memorial Service by a delegation, representing the cross-section of our political spectrum reflects the high degree of love and respect which Dr. Mandela commanded in India. He was a household name and someone, we saw as one of our own. His life was a living example of human strength and courage in the face of brute force and gross injustice. He was the last of the giants who led the world’s struggles against the colonialism and his struggle held special significance for us as we saw in him a reflection of our own prolonged anti-colonial struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi.” President said.

Dr Mandela’s funeral is scheduled to be held in his childhood home, Qunu village in the Eastern Cape on December 15 and it will be a private affair.

However, the South African Government has facilitated world leaders to pay their tributes to Mandela on Tuesday and Wednesday at the State Memorial Services being held at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.

“India and South Africa are countries and peoples who have shared both the tragedy of colonialism and the triumph of the free spirit. Today, we stand together united in our determination to realize common goals and build a new world. My delegation and I hope to convey to the Government and people of South Africa the intense grief and personal loss that we in India feel over the sad demise of the great soul - our beloved ‘Madiba’,” President Mukherjee said.

India was the first foreign country that he had visited after his 27-years in prison. Highly regarded in India, the South African leader had always termed Mahatma Gandhi as pioneer of his anti-apartheid movement.

Mandela, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, was recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.

The popularity of the leader could be gauged by the decision of the South African government which has capped the number of delegation from every country to six including the heads of state.