U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama visits former South Africa president Nelson Mandela in June of 2011. (Google Images)
U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama visits former South Africa president Nelson Mandela in June of 2011. (Google Images)

NBC News is reporting that ailing former South African President opened his eyes and smiled when he learned of U.S. President Barack Obama’s scheduled visit to South Africa.

Keir Simmons and Charlayne Hunter-Gault write:

“Anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela ‘opened his eyes’ and smiled after being told of President Barack Obama’s imminent visit to South Africa, his daughter said Tuesday, adding to speculation that the two men might meet.

The 94-year-old remains in a critical condition, South Africa’s government said Tuesday as relatives gathered at his home for a family meeting that local media reports described as ‘urgent.’

The anti-apartheid campaigner and democracy icon has been in hospital with a lung infection since June 8. His condition was downgraded over the weekend from ‘serious but stable’ to ‘critical.’

President Obama is due to leave Wednesday for Senegal, his first stop in a tour of Africa, before heading to South Africa on Friday.”

Read more at NBCNews.com.

Like The Burton Wire on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @TheBurtonWire.

Previous articleMandela: Family Holds Vigil; Archbishop Offers Prayers
Next articleZuma Cancels Trip; Mandela Rumored to Be on Life Support
TheBurtonWire.com is the premiere online destination for people who think for themselves. This blog offers news from the African Diaspora, culture that is produced by often overlooked populations and opinion that is informed and based on fact. Tired of the onslaught of websites and talking heads that regurgitate what people want to hear, TheBurtonWire.com is a publication that elevates news and perspectives that people need to hear. TheBurtonWire.com is for individual thinkers who understand that they are part of a larger collective. What is this collective? Free thinking people that care about the world, who will not be categorized or boxed in by society or culture and are interested in issues and topics that defy stereotypes and conventional wisdom.

1 COMMENT