Nelson Mandela’s daughter, Makaziwe
Mandela, has said the 94-year-old South African apartheid icon would not
be “released” and put off medical treatment until “God decide it is
time for him to go.”
She said this in a CNN interview in the
aftermath of the report that Mandela’s health had taken the turn for the
worse. She did not reveal whether her father was on life-support, but
said he was at peace. Makaziwe Mandela said it goes against the grain of
their culture to let a person die unless the person was willing. She
added, “He still opens his eyes; it is only God who knows the end.”
Mandela’s granddaughter, Ndileka, said,
“His fighting spirit is what amazes me. I don’t know what keeps him
fighting and he is stoic and determined, that I will end things my way.
Not any other person’s way. I strongly feel that whatever covenant he
has made with his ancestors and God has not been fulfilled, when that is
fulfilled he will bow out in a way that he chooses.”
Numerous media reported on Sunday that
Jacob Zuma, South African president, said the icon’s health was in
critical condition. It was revealed that Mandela’s liver and kidney
functions have been reduced by 50 per cent. Zuma urged his countrymen to
pray for the “father of democracy.” Mandela in recent times have been
in-and-out of hospital due to a recurring lung infection; a disease he
had been afflicted with since he suffered tuberculosis while in prison.
He had been sentenced to 27 years imprisonment for leading
anti-apartheid movement in his country and fighting for the rule by
black majority in South Africa.
Zuma also debunked the rumours that
Mandela had suffered cardiac arrest on Sunday. He said. “The doctors are
doing everything possible to get his condition to improve and are
ensuring that Mandela is well-looked after and is comfortable. He is in
good hands.’
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