turn 95 next month - was rushed to hospital three weeks
ago with recurrent lung infections. On the eve of Mr
Obama's visit to Africa, Mr Mandela
was said to be in a critical condition, but had stabilised
since a scare forced his successor Jacob Zuma to cancel a
trip to neighbouring Mozambique.
Speaking in Senegal on the first leg of his long-awaited
Africa trip, Mr Obama described Mandela as "a personal
hero."
"I think he is a hero for the world, and if and when he
passes from this place, one thing I think we all know is
that his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the
ages," he said.
Mr Obama landed in the Senegalese capital of Dakar on
Wednesday night for the first leg of his three-country
visit.
"He is much better today," said Mr Zuma after seeing
Mr Mandela late on Thursday for the second time in less
than 24 hours.
Yet South Africans, including Mr Mandela's family,
remain braced for the worst.
Nelson Mandela are hung up at a mass prayer meeting
at Luhlaza High School in Khayelitsha in Cape Town
Mandela pictures are hung up at a prayer meeting at a
Cape Town school
"I won't lie. It doesn't look good," daughter Makaziwe
Mandela said. She added that "if we speak to him he
responds and tries to open his eyes - he's still there".
"Anything is imminent, but I want to emphasise again
that it is only God who knows when the time to go is,"
she told local radio.
Mr Obama, who is currently on a three-nation Africa
tour, has led a chorus of support for the man he has
dubbed a "hero for the world".
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