Mandela still critical, president cancels Mozambique trip

Pretoria, June 27: South African President Jacob Zuma cancelled a scheduled trip to Mozambique after visiting former leader Nelson Mandela, who remains critically ill in a hospital.

Zuma was due to attend a regional summit in the Mozambican capital Maputo Thursday, but decided to cancel his trip.

President Zuma was briefed by doctors who were doing everything possible to ensure 94-year-old Mandela's well-being.

Earlier this month, Mandela, the country's first black president, was brought to the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital here for third time this year. He was admitted in a serious condition with a recurrence of long-standing lung problems. He has been in intensive care since.

On June 25, a cleric prayed for Mandela's "peaceful end". Also visiting was Mandela's daughter Zindzi, who said her father had "opened his eyes and smiled".

The Nobel Prize winner's lifetime of struggle and sacrifice has included a period of 27 years in apartheid jails. His endeavours helped lead to the country's first all race election in 1994, following which he served as country's president between 1994 and 99.

IANS