Mandela’s Grandson Expresses Family Gratitude For Support, Prayers

The grandson of former South African President and anti-apartheid hero, Nelson Mandela on Wednesday expressed his family’s gratitude for the support and prayers that South Africans and the international community have shown to the former ANC leader.

Mandla Mandela said his family was grateful for all the support.

“Well as part of the family we are grateful that my grandfather has continued to have support from the presidency and the ANC-led government who has ensured they looked after him during his stay in hospital, and we also want to thank the doctors who have worked around the clock so that they can look after him while he is in hospital.”

“We are particularly honoured to have received the many prayers and messages from South Africans at large as well as the global community. We want to say thank you, and we appreciate all your support that you show to our grandfather and your father of course because my grandfather is a father of the nation, he is embraced by the entire global community so we appreciate the support that we have received,” he added.

Well-wishers continue to arrive at the ailing 94-year-old’s home in the Johannesburg district of Houghton, placing messages of support and flowers on the grass outside the residency.

Earlier on Wednesday South African President Jacob Zuma spoke to parliament in Cape Town and said Mandela was “responding better to treatment”.

Mr Zuma told parliament that he was happy with the progress being made by the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader after a “difficult few days”.

Mandela, who is spending his fifth day in hospital for a recurring lung infection believed to be related to the Tuberculosis that he contracted while serving a life sentence in prison, continues to receive close care from doctors.

Mandela was admitted in the early hours of Saturday.

The hospital stay is his fourth since December, and there is a growing realisation among South Africa’s 53 million people that they will one day have to say goodbye to the father of the “Rainbow Nation” that Mandela tried to forge from the ashes of apartheid.