ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Obama, in the midst of a historic tour of Africa, says he isn’t certain about whether he’ll be able to visit gravely ill Nelson Mandela when he arrives in South Africa.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Dakar, Senegal to Johannesburg, Obama said, “We’ll see what the situation is when we land.”
Obama adds, quote, “I don’t need a photo op and the last thing I want to do is to be in any way obtrusive at a time when the family is concerned with Nelson Mandela’s condition.”
He noted that his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha had previously met Mandela, who is 94. Mandela led the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.
He was admitted to a hospital in Pretoria on June 8 with what authorities said at the time was a lingering lung infection.
“I think the main message we’ll want to deliver, if not directly to him, but to his family, is simply profound gratitude for his leadership all these years,” said Obama, “and that the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with him his family and his country.”
Meanwhile, the ex-wife of the critically ill former president said Friday that the beloved 94-year-old is showing a “great improvement” compared to a few days ago.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela gave the update while speaking to media outside Mandela’s former home in Soweto.
“I’m not a doctor but I can say that from what he was a few days ago there is great improvement,” said Madikizela-Mandela, who is a member of South Africa’s Parliament.
Madikizela-Mandela pleaded with the media to “understand the sensitivities and the feeling of the family.”
One of Mandela’s daughters, Makaziwe Mandela, was among family members who arrived at the Pretoria hospital on Friday. The ministers of health and defense also visited, the South African Press Association reported.
Outside the Pretoria hospital on Friday, a man flying a drone-like object with a camera attached was led away by several policemen, adding to an already heightened atmosphere where well-wishers continue to gather to pray for Mandela.
Mandela was taken to the hospital on June 8 to be treated for what the government said was a recurring lung infection. South Africans have held prayers nationwide, and many have left flowers and messages of support outside the hospital as well as his home in Johannesburg.
On Thursday, the office of South African President Jacob Zuma said Mandela’s health had improved overnight, and that his condition was critical but stable.