Mandela still in a critical condition: Zuma
Source: Agencies |
June 25, 2013, Tuesday
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SOUTH African President Jacob Zuma said yesterday a critically ill Nelson Mandela was asleep when he visited the 94-year-old in a hospital, and he urged the country to pray for Mandela, describing him as the "father of democracy" who made extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of his people.
Zuma told dozens of foreign and South African journalists that doctors were doing everything possible to help the 94-year-old former president feel comfortable on his 17th day in a Pretoria hospital, but refused to give details of Mandela's condition, saying: "I'm not a doctor."
The briefing highlighted the tension between the government's reluctance to share more information about Mandela on the basis of doctor-patient confidentiality, and media appeals for thorough updates on a figure of global interest.
Zuma's briefing, held in a century-old Johannesburg mansion that now hosts conferences and other events, was also an indicator of the extent to which reports on Mandela's health sometimes overshadow the business of the state. Under questioning, Zuma said US President Barack Obama would go ahead with a visit to South Africa, despite concerns about Mandela's health.
"President Obama is visiting South Africa," Zuma said. "I don't think you stop a visit because somebody's sick."
Obama arrives in Africa this week.
Zuma, who in the past has given an overly sunny view of Mandela's health, briefly spoke of his visit on Sunday night to Mandela in the hospital in the capital. That visit was mentioned in a presidential statement on the same night that said Mandela, previously described as being in serious but stable condition, had lapsed into critical condition within the previous 24 hours.
"It was late, he was already asleep," Zuma said. "And we then had a bit of a discussion with the doctors as well as his wife Graca Machel and we left."
He said South Africans should accept that Mandela is old, and he urged people to pray for their former leader.
"Madiba is critical in the hospital, and this is the father of democracy. This is the man who fought and sacrificed his life to stay in prison, the longest-serving prisoner in South Africa," Zuma said, using Mandela's clan name.
Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president after the end of apartheid in 1994, was hospitalized for what the government said was a recurring lung infection. This is his fourth hospitalization since December.
Mandela was jailed for 27 years under white racist rule and was released 23 years ago, in 1990. He then played a leading role in steering the divided country from the apartheid era to an all-race democracy. As a result of his sacrifice and peacemaking efforts, he is seen by many around the world as a symbol of reconciliation.
"Nelson Mandela, for me, is like my father," Alex Siake said in Pretoria. "Every day, I just pray that he can recover quickly and be among us again."
Zuma told dozens of foreign and South African journalists that doctors were doing everything possible to help the 94-year-old former president feel comfortable on his 17th day in a Pretoria hospital, but refused to give details of Mandela's condition, saying: "I'm not a doctor."
The briefing highlighted the tension between the government's reluctance to share more information about Mandela on the basis of doctor-patient confidentiality, and media appeals for thorough updates on a figure of global interest.
Zuma's briefing, held in a century-old Johannesburg mansion that now hosts conferences and other events, was also an indicator of the extent to which reports on Mandela's health sometimes overshadow the business of the state. Under questioning, Zuma said US President Barack Obama would go ahead with a visit to South Africa, despite concerns about Mandela's health.
"President Obama is visiting South Africa," Zuma said. "I don't think you stop a visit because somebody's sick."
Obama arrives in Africa this week.
Zuma, who in the past has given an overly sunny view of Mandela's health, briefly spoke of his visit on Sunday night to Mandela in the hospital in the capital. That visit was mentioned in a presidential statement on the same night that said Mandela, previously described as being in serious but stable condition, had lapsed into critical condition within the previous 24 hours.
"It was late, he was already asleep," Zuma said. "And we then had a bit of a discussion with the doctors as well as his wife Graca Machel and we left."
He said South Africans should accept that Mandela is old, and he urged people to pray for their former leader.
"Madiba is critical in the hospital, and this is the father of democracy. This is the man who fought and sacrificed his life to stay in prison, the longest-serving prisoner in South Africa," Zuma said, using Mandela's clan name.
Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president after the end of apartheid in 1994, was hospitalized for what the government said was a recurring lung infection. This is his fourth hospitalization since December.
Mandela was jailed for 27 years under white racist rule and was released 23 years ago, in 1990. He then played a leading role in steering the divided country from the apartheid era to an all-race democracy. As a result of his sacrifice and peacemaking efforts, he is seen by many around the world as a symbol of reconciliation.
"Nelson Mandela, for me, is like my father," Alex Siake said in Pretoria. "Every day, I just pray that he can recover quickly and be among us again."
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