South African President Jacob Zuma (2nd right) and his wife, Thobeka
Madiba-Zuma (right) wave alongside US President Barack Obama (2nd left)
and First Lady Michelle Obama (left) as they arrive at the Union
Building in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 29, 2013. Obama and his wife
Michelle will spend time with Mandela's family to comfort them in a
difficult time, the official said, as the US leader arrived in Pretoria
for talks with President Jacob Zuma. AFP
By AFP
Po
Po
PRETORIA
US President Barack Obama Saturday decided not to
visit his political hero Nelson Mandela in hospital to preserve the
"peace and comfort" of the anti-apartheid legend, whose family he will
meet to offer prayers instead.
The US leader will hold up Mandela's unifying legacy as an example to an emerging continent, even as the plight of the father of multi-racial South Africa added poignancy and a delicate political dimension to his visit.
"The President and First Lady will meet privately with members of the Mandela family to offer their thoughts and prayers at this difficult time," a US official said, as Obama arrived in Pretoria for talks with South African President Jacob Zuma in the middle leg of a three-nation swing.
"Out of deference to Nelson Mandela's peace and comfort and the family's wishes, they will not be visiting the hospital," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Obama said Friday he did not need a photo-op with Mandela, who he meet briefly in 2005, but aides did not definitively rule out a visit to the hospital before he arrived in Johannesburg on Friday night.
Mandela's condition presented Obama with a delicate political challenge.
He must balance a desire to honour Mandela, in perhaps his final days, with a message that the United States wants to play a key diplomatic and economic role in a region on the rise.
Obama's helicopter swept low over the Pretoria hills to land in front of the imposing sandstone Union Buildings, the seat of South Africa's government, for talks and a press conference with Zuma.
Later, he will head to Soweto, the sprawling township where riots sparked a nationwide struggle against the racist apartheid regime, while Mandela and fellow African National Congress leaders were in prison.
The US leader will hold a town hall style meeting with young leaders from all over Africa, driving home his theme that it is time for a new generation to guide the continent into a new era of democracy and prosperity.
Mandela may be out of sight, but his influence is palpable on Obama's tour of Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.
A public meeting between the first black presidents of the United States and South Africa, who in their own way both shattered racial barriers had long been anticipated, but Obama was unable to visit South Africa in his first term, before Mandela's decline accelerated.
Instead, Obama will hold up Mandela's legacy Saturday as an example for African leaders as they seek to lift the continent from a challenging past to a more prosperous and peaceful future.
"The message will be consistent because it draws on the lessons of Nelson Mandela's own life," Obama told reporters on Friday.
"If we focus on what Africa as a continent can do together and what these countries can do when they're unified, as opposed to when they're divided by tribe or race or religion, then Africa's rise will continue.
"That's one of the central lessons of what Nelson
Mandela accomplished not just as president, but in the struggle to
overcome apartheid and his years in prison."
Fears for Mandela's health have eased slightly, as
the 94-year-old's ex-wife Winnie said Friday there had been a "great
improvement" though he was still said to be in a critical condition.
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