Durban: Former South African president Nelson Mandela is alive and well and enjoying rest at his home in Johannesburg.
The CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Achmat Dangor, issued this statement on Saturday following a statement by US President George W Bush about all the Mandelas in Iraq being killed by Saddam Hussein.
“It appears that his statement has been misunderstood and we wish to assure everyone that Mr Mandela is alive and well and enjoying some rest and relaxation at his home in Johannesburg,” said Dangor.
Bush was quoted on Friday as saying: “I heard somebody say, ‘Now where's Mandela?’ Well, Mandela is dead. Because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.”
Bush made the comment during a media briefing. Dangor added: “We know that his statement was made in the context of the difficulty in finding Iraqis capable of resolving the conflict in their country.”
Mandela, 89, only a fortnight ago visited London and Paris on official functions. In London, he attended the unveiling of his statue in his honour by the London Borough. In Paris, he called on South African rugby players currently playing the rugby World Cup.
Mandela together with the late ANC President, Oliver Tambo, and another ANC stalwart, Govan Mbeki, were honoured in Parliament this week by President Thabo Mbeki for their contributions to the South African liberation struggles.
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