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Obama visits South Africa, describes Mandela as an inspiration
US leader spoke with the Mandela family and South Africa President Jacob Zuma, but does not plan to visit Mandela at the hospital.
29 June 2013, 12:00am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
1 min read
US President Barack Obama has praised Nelson Mandela as "an inspiration to the world" while visiting South Africa.
Obama does not intend to visit Mandela, who has spent almost a week in the hospital. Nonetheless he met the Mandela family in private and spoke by telephone to his wife, Graca Machel.
"His struggle here, against apartheid, for freedom, and this country's historic transition to a free and democratic nation, has been a personal inspiration to me" Obama said.
He described Mandela as an example of the power of principle, of people standing up for what's right.
The US leader was speaking in Pretoria after talks with South-Africa President Jacob Zuma.
During the weekend Obama is scheduled to visit Robben Island where Mandela passed 18 of the 27 years he spent in apartheid prisons.
