Saying goodbye ... Hundreds of people join hands while going up a hill to view the body of former South African president Nelson Mandela in Pretoria.

Saying goodbye ... Hundreds of people join hands while going up a hill to view the body of former South African president Nelson Mandela in Pretoria.

Bono, Robert Mugabe and Australia's High Commissioner have joined Nelson Mandela's family in a private viewing of his casket, as it lies in state in South Africa's capital.

Wednesday was a day of private tears and contemplation after Tuesday's bombastic memorial service in Soweto.

And it was a day of bad news for anti-apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who discovered his Cape Town home had been burgled while he was 1200km away giving the final prayer at the memorial.

A girl displays the text 'RIP Mandela' on her cheek while waiting with her family to pay tribute to former South African President Nelson Mandela in Pretoria.

A girl displays the text 'RIP Mandela' on her cheek while waiting with her family to pay tribute to former South African President Nelson Mandela in Pretoria.

Thousands of South Africans lined the streets of Pretoria, waiting for the VIPs to finish their visits so they too could say an in-person goodbye to the father of their nation.

Josephine Mokhonwan,49, said she simply wanted to say goodbye for the last time.

She had waited in line for almost three hours for the chance to walk past the coffin, which has a see-through lid so Mandela's face can be seen.

"It's very sad for me," she said. "I won't see him again. I wanted to say thanks for all the hard work he has done for us."

Her friend Billy Kgashgo, 30, said Mandela was his hero and had made a difference in his life. "When I see him I will just grieve that he has passed," he said.

Vanessa Crows, 34, said she didn't mind the wait - "he would have stood here I think," she said. "He was here for the people. When I see him I will maybe take a part of that in my heart and try to do the same."

Mandela's body will lie in state until Friday at the Union Buildings, the official seat of South Africa's government and president - a picturesque building set amid lush gardens on a hill in Pretoria.

Mourners are instructed not to take any pictures - and were warned that anyone who disobeyed the rule would face serious consequences.

Visitors on Wednesday included Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, South African President Jacob Zuma, U2 frontman Bono and FW de Klerk - who appeared moved by the experience.

Mandela's widow Graca Machel, his former wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and other family members also viewed his body.

Grandson Ndaba Mandela said it was a sad moment. He called on those viewing the body to take a few seconds to reflect on his grandfather's life and legacy as they said goodbye.

In the afternoon it was the turn of the general public - some of whom had been waiting since 5am. Some raised their fists and chanted as they left the building, others wept, with police officers on standby near the casket with tissues. Parents brought their children to see the man who had shaped the country they were born into.

They told the SABC that Mandela looked "pale".

However some radio callers said they didn't feel the need to view the body.

"Nelson Mandela was never about a physical presence, it was about the ideals," one said.

Others chose to visit Mandela's home, where visitors flooded the nearby streets, a children's choir sang, and vendors eagerly spruiked Mandela memorabilia.

Meanwhile, according to radio reports, Archbishop Tutu discovered his home had been burgled - again.

Tutu gave the final prayer at Tuesday's memorial, calming the noisy crowd by insisting he wouldn't start until he "could hear a pin drop".

But the next day he discovered burglars had targeted his home while he was away.

His home was also burgled in August, with two thieves entering the house while his wife was asleep in another room