Obama arrives in South Africa; Mandela's health may overshadow visit
President Obama is visiting South Africa as part of a three-country trip to Africa.
JOHANNESBURG — President Obama arrived in South Africa Friday on the second leg of his week-long trip to Africa and said he'll let Nelson Mandela's family decide whether the nation 's ailing former president is up to a visit from him.
"We'll see what the situation is when we land," Obama said aboard Air Force One as he flew to South Africa from Senegal, the first stop on his trip. "I don't need a photo-op, and the last thing I want to do is to be in any way obtrusive at a time when the family is concerned about Nelson Mandela's condition. I've had the opportunity to meet with him. Michelle and the girls had an opportunity to meet with him. Right now, our main concern is with his well-being, his comfort, and with the family's well-being and comfort.
Mandela, 94, South Africa's anti-apartheid hero, is in critical but stable condition in a Pretoria hospital with a recurring lung infection. South Africans held prayer vigils and other demonstrations of concern for Mandela as much of the world awaited word of any change in his condition.
Mandela's former wife said he is showing "great improvement" compared to a few days ago. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela gave the update on the former president's health while speaking to media outside Mandela's former home in Soweto.
"The main message we'll want to deliver if not directly to him but to his family is simply our profound gratitude for his leadership all these years and that the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with him and his family and his country," Obama said. "I think in that sense, the sentiment of Americans is universally shared around the world."
Though Senegal prepared for President Obama's visit with flags, posters and warmth, he faces a tougher crowd when he arrives in South Africa on Friday. Protests are likely, and Mandela's health threatens to overshadow his visit.
"There are sometimes tensions within the relationship [between South Africa and the United States], but for that reason, it's important for [Obama] to go there and engage directly with the government and the South African people," said Jennifer Cooke, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
"South Africa is Africa's largest economy, and it's an important bilateral partner," she said.
Some South African groups are furious over U.S. foreign policy.
Students from the University of Johannesburg, where Obama is to receive an honorary doctorate when he speaks Saturday, have struck out at the president's policies on drones and the Middle East with a "No, you can't honor Obama" campaign.
"I don't understand why the university is giving this award," said Success Maake, 19, a multimedia student. "He hasn't changed much other than being the first black president. I don't know why they still have people in Iraq, and I'm not hyped up about him coming."
South Africa's biggest trade union, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, has called for protests against the president because of the "appalling U.S. foreign policy performance," according to a news release from the group.
Last week, the Muslim Lawyers Association submitted an affidavit to the National Prosecuting Authority and the police in a bid to get the authorities to investigate, charge and arrest Obama on his arrival.
"The Obama administration's drone program has resulted in massive losses of innocent lives in Pakistan, Yemen and Afghanistan," the group said in a statement published on its website. "The program is responsible for extra-judicial killings of both innocent civilians, as well as U.S. citizens abroad. The drone strike policy has continued unabated with total disregard for territorial sovereignty, and this is cited as the primary reason that Obama should be investigated and tried for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide."
NELSON MANDELA: South Africa demonstrates its concern
A person holds up a poster of former South African President Nelson Mandela outside the Mediclinic Heart Hospital on June 28 in Pretoria
South Africa is the second stop on Obama's much-anticipated week-long visit to the continent. The president arrived in Senegal on Wednesday and will head to Tanzania for the last leg of his tour Monday.
Obama was greeted with open arms by the Senegalese as he met with President Macky Sall on Thursday and toured Goree Island, the largest slave trading post in Africa from the 15th to 19th centuries. It is a place of importance for both Africans and African Americans as the site of the House of Slaves, where men, women and children were kept before being shipped off to the Americas.
SENEGAL: Obama praises democracy in Africa
"We are so happy that [the president from] the most powerful country is in our country and hope it will open many opportunities for us," said Aissatou Boye, 50, standing outside the Presidential Palace on Thursday.
However, the president was met with criticism as he praised the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage as a victory for American democracy at a news conference with Sall. In Senegal, homosexuality is illegal and can carry a prison sentence of up to five years.
Saturday, Obama will meet with South African President Jacob Zuma for a bilateral meeting over efforts to deal with issues affecting the entire continent, such as the tensions in Sudan and South Sudan and the promotion of democracy on the continent.
Despite the protests facing the president, the South African minister of international relations, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, said relations between the two countries are "solid, strong and positive."
Analysts said the president's stop in South Africa is an important one for the president and the visit will help strengthen ties between the two nations.
"It's a very important visit for the average South African," said Catherine Grant-Makokera, head of the economic diplomacy program at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg. "President Obama's visit is a very good opportunity for us to show him what our country is about. It's useful to have the U.S. on your side, and that can't be underestimated."
Contributing: Catherine Featherston from Berlin and Jennifer Lazuta from Dakar, Senegal; Associated Press
