Nelson Mandela at home after treatment

Former South African President Nelson Mandela is recovering at home after spending two nights in hospital with a respiratory infection.

Nelson Mandela leaves hospital after treatment

Nelson Mandela leaving for home in a military ambulance, where he will continue to receive treatment.

Nelson Mandela leaving for home in a military ambulance, where he will continue to receive treatment.

Former South African president Nelson Mandela left hospital today after treatment for an acute respiratory infection, officials said.

Mandela, 92, was admitted on Wednesday, prompting fears for the anti-apartheid icon who led South Africa as its first black president and is revered at home and abroad as a symbol of reconciliation and hope.

“Madiba is well,” Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said, using Mandela’s clan name.

“He is fine. He’s O.K. He is in good spirits. He was joking with us,” said Motlanthe.

South Africa’s surgeon general told the same news conference Mandela was stable and was discharged after treatment for an acute respiratory infection.

“There is no need to panic or to try to see more in what we are saying. For a 92-year-old, he surprises us on a daily basis on his power of recovery,” Vejayanand Ramlakan said.

Mandela arrived at his home in Johannesburg’s leafy Houghton suburb in a military ambulance, escorted by several police vehicles, Reuters witnesses said.

Ramlakan said Mandela would continue to get medical treatment at home, giving no further details of his illness. A source close to Mandela told Reuters yesterday that he was recovering from a collapsed lung.




TB in jail

Mandela was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the 1980s while he was jailed, and later had an operation to repair damage to his eyes. In 2001 he had treatment for prostate cancer. He was released from prison in 1990 after 27 years’ imprisonment.

President Jacob Zuma and the ruling African National Congress appealed for calm after the hospitalisation set off speculation in local media about Mandela’s health and brought family members and dignitaries rushing to the hospital.

Motlanthe acknowledged that the government and other parties involved could have handled Mandela’s hospitalisation better.

Nearly 24 hours passed from when the Nelson Mandela Foundation said the former president was in hospital for routine tests to the presidency issuing a statement on his health.

Mandela has not been seen in public since the football World Cup final in July last year, when he made a brief appearance waving from a golf buggy.

In Washington, the White House said President Barack Obama’s thoughts were with Mandela.

Mandela retired from public life in June 2004 before his 86th birthday, telling his compatriots: “Don’t call me, I’ll call you.”

Since then he has rarely appeared in public and when he did, he appeared increasingly frail. In addition to the World Cup, Mandela appeared at a couple of ANC rallies before general elections in 2009.

Mandela charity trustee quits over Campbell gems

Nelson Mandela charity trustee Jeremy Ractliffe has resigned after admitting to keeping uncut diamonds he received from British supermodel Naomi Campbell in 1997.

Ractliffe, who was head of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF) at the time, owned up to having the gems after Campbell mentioned them in testimony at The Hague war crimes trial of former Liberian leader Charles Taylor.

Prosecutors had been trying to prove the gems were “blood diamonds” given to Campbell by Taylor after a charity dinner in Johannesburg. The model said she did not know the anonymous donor of the “dirty looking pebbles”.

The three precious stones are now in the hands of the South African police, and Ractliffe faces possible charges of being in possession of uncut diamonds without a licence, a crime in South Africa.

“He hasn’t been charged yet,” said Musa Zondi, a spokesman for the police’s elite Hawks unit, adding that investigations were continuing.

Ractliffe said he took the stones from Campbell because he feared she might be breaking the law if she took them out of the country. She had suggested he sell the stones and use the money for good causes, although he thought it more prudent simply to keep them.

“Mr Ractliffe regrets his omission to inform the NMCF of his receipt of the uncut diamonds until now,” the Fund said in a statement on his resignation as a trustee of the former South African president’s charitable foundation.

Taylor is accused in The Hague of rape, sexual slavery and recruiting child soldiers during wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Prosecutors allege he received conflict diamonds from Sierra Leone rebels and used them to buy weapons, which he denies.

Nelson Mandela's daughter and grandchildren held up at gunpoint after former leader's 92nd birthday party

Victim: Nelson Mandela's daughter Zindzi Mandela (left) and her children were attacked just hours after this photo was taken at his 92nd birthday party

Nelson Mandela's daughter and grandchildren were held up by gunmen after returning from the former South African president’s 92nd birthday party, it emerged today.

Mr Mandela’s daughter, Zindzi Mandela, and her children were attacked by two men as they arrived by car in the driveway of their home in Johannesburg.

They were ordered to lie down, but then the men decided to leave.





Best wishes: Mr Mandela cuts his cake while family members look on

Frail: Mr Mandela was confined to his chair as candles were lit on his cake

However, they returned and searched the group, but then one of the men suddenly fired a shot. The victims' driver returned fire and the men, both said to be black, fled.

No one was hurt in the exchange on Sunday.

It is unknown whether the attackers hesitated because they recognised Miss Mandela, 49.
The family is still coming to terms with the death of Zindzi's grandchild Zenani, who died in a car crash ahead of the World Cup, hosted in South Africa in June.

Mourning for her death led Nelson Mandela to cancel his appearance at the opening ceremony.

Police said Mr Mandela's grandchildren were returning to their Johannesburg home from Mr Mandela’s estate across the city at 6.30pm on Sunday when the attack took place.
Gauteng police spokesman Brigadier Govindsamy Mariemuthoo said: ‘The driver was taking the children (home) and as they were getting into the gates

‘As they entered the yard and were getting out of the car, suddenly two armed black males approached them. They ordered them to lie down,’ he said.

‘One suspect fired a shot and the driver returned fire. They then fled the scene,’ he said.

A car with bullet holes in it and fitting the description of the one used by the attackers was later recovered.

Nelson Mandela celebrates 92nd birthday-World pays tribute to Mandela at 92

Obama sends Mandela birthday greetings - 92 years old.

Her Royal Highness Zenani Dlamini (L) lights the candles on the cake to celebrate Mr Nelson Mandela's 92nd Birthday

US President Barack Obama on Sunday extended birthday wishes to Nelson Mandela, hailing the former South African leader's "extraordinary vision, leadership, and spirit."

"On behalf of the United States, I wish Nelson Mandela a very happy 92nd birthday. We are grateful to continue to be blessed with his extraordinary vision, leadership, and spirit," the US president said in a statement.






"We strive," he said, "to build upon his example of tolerance, compassion and reconciliation."

The greetings from America's first black president to South Africa's, came as the world celebrated the first international day in honor of Mandela's 92nd birthday, hailing his contribution to global politics and the fight for human rights.

"I also join the American people, the South African people, the United Nations, and the world in celebrating the first annual Nelson Mandela International Day. I encourage us all to heed the call to engage in some form of service to others, in honor of the 67 years of sacrifice and service Madiba gave to us," Obama said, familiarly referring to Mandela by his nickname.

"We strive to follow his example of what it means to truly give back to our communities, our nations, and our world," Obama said.

BBC is caught up in a row over Nelson Mandela and Jeremy Clarkson ‘the astronaut’

Blunder: Clarkson says he was nervous and 'acted like a fool' after upsetting the former South African president

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1257782/BBC-caught-row-Mandela-Clarkson-astronaut.html#ixzz0iAo0HdSs


The BBC has been dragged into an embarrassing row involving Nelson Mandela after Jeremy Clarkson revealed that the former South African president had mistaken him for an astronaut.

Senior aides of the 91-year-old were so upset by the Top Gear presenter’s decision to publicise the misunderstanding that they threatened to reject £70,000 which Mr Clarkson raised for the Nelson Mandela Foundation at a charity auction.

The mix-up occurred when the two men were introduced at a reception in Johannesburg.
Mr Mandela had been due to meet a group of American astronauts on the same day and became confused about who Mr Clarkson was.

When he asked him what the Moon was like, the star of the hugely successful BBC2 car show could not bring himself to correct the legendary leader, so he replied: ‘It’s rocky and dusty and there’s not much gravity.’
A source who was at the reception said: ‘Mr Mandela’s people were extremely annoyed.’

Last night, Mr Clarkson declined to apologise but issued a statement via the BBC, saying: ‘I was incredibly nervous and acted like a fool.’

He and his co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May were in South Africa for a series of Top Gear Live shows and to raise money for good causes. A number of arena shows are presented each year in countries where the programme has a big following.

The confusion over Mr Clarkson’s identity might have remained a private matter had the ‘motormouth’ TV host not later recounted the story in a newspaper column.

Mr Mandela’s aides were so annoyed at what they claimed was a breach of confidentiality that they said they would refuse the money.

His personal assistant, Zelda le Grange, told Paul Edmonds, director of Brand Events, the promotions company that organises the Top Gear Live tours on behalf of the BBC: ‘We do not want your money.’

Mr Edmonds is understood to have told colleagues after the heated meeting with Ms le Grange that ‘it was one of those times when you shut up and take your medicine’.

Mr Clarkson wrote in his newspaper column after meeting the former president: ‘I should explain at this point that these days Mr Mandela spends a lot of his time meeting people who are passing through Johannesburg... And when you are sitting in an office all day, meeting an endless stream of

people you don’t know, it’s easy to get them a bit muddled up.’

Last night, the foundation tried to play down the row and indicated that it would, after all, accept the money. Spokesman Sello Hatang said: ‘We have not rejected the donation. We are in discussions at the moment about the process of receiving it. There is no bad blood between us and Mr Clarkson.’

Asked if the foundation would work with the same promotions company again, Mr Hatang said: ‘I am not sure what will happen in the future. We will cross that river when we get there.’

This is not the first time that Mr Clarkson has caused offence. He had to apologise last year after calling Gordon Brown ‘a one-eyed Scottish idiot’, while in 2005 he gave the Nazi salute on Top Gear while discussing a German-made Mini.

He has also accused TV bosses of being obsessed with having ‘black Muslim lesbians’ on shows to balance out white heterosexual men.

A BBC Worldwide spokesman said: ‘During downtime for the Top Gear Live tour in South Africa recently, Jeremy had a private meeting with Nelson Mandela. The newspaper columns that followed the meeting are not a matter for BBC Worldwide.

Row with Winnie forces 'frail' Nelson Mandela to skip celebrations marking 20th anniversary of his release from prison

Former South African president Nelson Mandela has called off a historic return to the prison from which he walked to freedom 20 years ago.

The decision to abandon his appearance at the celebrations outside the Victor Verster Prison came after a row with his family - including ex-wife Winnie - over how to manage the 91-year-old's movements.

Local media suggested the family were concerned at how 'frail' the leader is. His absence from the event is certain to spark speculation about Mr Mandela's health.
The former African National Congress leader was released from prison on this day in 1990 in a decision that heralded the South Africa's decision to dismantle Apartheid.

Mr Mandela, who was 71 at the time, had spend 27 years behind bars on Robben Island.

Today South Africans are celebrating how far they have come since he took his first steps out of the prison.

Thousands gathered for commemorations at what was known in 1990 as Victor Verster Prison, near Cape Town.

A re-enactment had been planned of the moment Mandela, hand-in-hand with his then-wife Winnie, walked free.
But now Winnie Mandela, with other leaders of the ANC including current South African president Jacob Zuma, are set to lead the 500-yard march from the gates of the prison instead.

Reports claimed that the row over Mr Mandela's appearance was betwen Winnie, her daughter Zindzi, and other members of the family including his current wife Graca Machel.

'Something very strange has been going on,' The Times quoted a source as saying.

'Wild horses would not keep WInnie away from an event like that.

'Everyone knows that if Mandela himself went, front-page news was guaranteed.

'Others would be jealous, but he is very frail, and it is difficult to stage-manage an event like that - whereas to manoeuvre him into the National Assembly is relatively easy in comparison.'
Mr Mandela is still due to appear at the National Assembly for the official opening of Parliament, timed to coincide with the celebrations, tonight.

Cyril Ramaphosa, a leader in Mandela's African National Congress, said: 'We knew that his freedom meant that our freedom had also arrived.'

Just four years after Mandela's release, South Africans held their first all-race elections, making Mandela their first black president.

His ANC has reduced poverty, built houses and delivered water, electricity and schools to blacks who had been without under apartheid.

But needs remain great.

The celebrations came as a senior Labour MP and former trade union leader today called on David Cameron to apologise for his visit to Apartheid-era South Africa.
Mr Cameron acknowledged his party's 'mistakes' over South Africa when he visited former President Mandela in 2006.

But a biography published last year disclosed that he visited the country as the guest of anti-sanctions lobbyists in 1989, when the ANC leader was still in jail.

Conservative spokesmen said at the time that the visit was a chance for Mr Cameron to 'see for himself' what conditions in South Africa were like, and noted that he met anti-Apartheid campaigners and opposition politicians while in the country.

But former anti-Apartheid campaigners including Sheffield Central MP Richard Caborn and ex-TUC general secretary Norman Willis today wrote to the Tory leader to demand an apology.

'Your trip, paid for by lobbyists against sanctions, was a long time ago,' they wrote.

'But it was then, and is now, a question of values and judgement.

'Since the details of this trip became public, you have refused to comment on it, refused to explain why you had to keep it quiet and refused to apologise for your actions.

'We hope that on the anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release, you will set the record straight and do what is right.'


A pedestrian passes a handprint mural of Nelson Mandela in Cape Town today

adiba Day: South Africans wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Mandela's image celebrate today - but Mandela himself was forced to cancel his appearance

A crowd of ANC supporters celebrates outside the gates of Drakenstein Correctional Centre (formerly Victor Verster Prison) today

ANC supporters cheer outside the prison today - but they are set for disappointment with Mr Mandela cancelling his appearance

Celebrations: ANC supporters raise their fists in an imitation of Mandela's victory salute as they stand beneath a statue of the leader outside the prison where he spent 27 years

The end of apartheid: Left, the historic moment that Mandela was to re-enact today as he walked to freedom from prison in 1990. It was this re-enactment that was cancelled today after the row with Mandela's family over his health. Right, Mandela with current wife Graca Machal in April last year

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