Nelson Mandela is critically ill, but his oldest daughter says he is still responding to touch and opening his eyes.
Speaking to the state-run South African Broadcasting Corp., his daughter says:
“I reiterate that Tata is very critical, that anything is imminent. But I want to emphasize again that it’s only God who knows when the time to go is, and so we will wait.”
The 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader has been undergoing treatment at Pretoria hospital since June 8 for a recurring lung infection.
Further speaking about her father his eldest daughter adds:
“He’s… still reactive to touch. We will live with that hope until the final end comes.”
Nelson Mandela was reportedly put on life support on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, his family was summoned to his bedside, although no further updates about his death were given by hospital doctors.
In the meantime, South Africans have traveled to the hospital to hold a candlelight vigil. So many people have arrived that police were forced to setup barricades which are now being monitored 24 hours a day.
Along with the vigil supporters for Mandela are leaving teddy bears, balloons, flowers, and messages on a wall near the hospital.
Nelson Mandela is a victor of the people who spent 27 years in prison during his fight against the African apartheid. Mandela’s personal fight highlighted the country’s racial segregation. In 1994, Nelson Mandela became the country’s first black president. Before his election, he was just four years out of prison.
Mandela’s health has continued to falter as he nears 100 years old.
Despite remaining out of the spotlight for the last several years, Nelson Mandela is still one of the most revered political figures not only in Africa but around the world.
Our best wishes go out to Mandela’s family as they await his fate.