President Barack Obama arrived in South Africa Friday to pay homage to South African leader Nelson Mandela, whose health was said to be showing "great improvement."
The 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero is still in critical but stable condition in a Pretoria hospital with a recurring lung infection dating from his years in apartheid-era prisons. However, Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela said he is showing "great improvement" compared to a few days ago.
"We'll see what the situation is when we land," Obama said aboard Air Force One as he flew to South Africa from Senegal, the first stop on his trip. "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 about Nelson Mandela's condition. I've had the opportunity to meet with him. Michelle and the girls had an opportunity to meet with him. Right now, our main concern is with his well-being, his comfort, and with the family's well-being and comfort," reports USA Today.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela asked the media not to "get carried away" in their reporting on her former husband's illness, but thanks them for their support.
"Please understand the sensitivities and the feeling of the family," added the MP, reports Al Jazeera.
"We had no idea of the love out there for us in our particular situation and if sometimes we sound bitter it is because we are dealing with a very difficult situation," she added.
Mandela's plight has lent a deeply poignant tone to Obama's three-day stay, part of a three-nation Africa tour.
A visit by Obama to Mandela's former jail cell on Robben Island, off Cape Town on Sunday in particular is expected to be laden with symbolism.
Speaking in Senegal on the first leg of his long-awaited African trip, Obama described Mandela as "a personal hero".
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