Post date: Jun 25, 2013 1:13:16 PM
Mandela family members and elders of the Thembu people gather at his home inQunu for a meeting.
QUNU, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 25, 2013) (REUTERS) - Relatives of former South African president Nelson Mandela and chiefs of the Thembu people to which Mandela belongs gathered at his home in Qunu on Tuesday (June 25) for a meeting.
Vehicles carrying family members were seen arriving at the family compound along with tribal elders for an meeting called by the Mandela children, local media reported.
Mandla Mandela, Thanduxolo Mandela, Ndaba Mandela, and Ndileka Mandela were reported to have attended the meeting along with chief Bhovulengwe, of the Thembu royal council.On Monday (June 24), South African President Jacob Zuma said he had visited the 94 year-old anti-apartheid leader on Sunday (June 23) and had been told by doctors his condition deteriorated to critical.
Madiba, as Mandela is affectionately known by his clan name, is revered among most of South Africa's 53 million people as the architect of the 1994 transition to multi-racial democracy after three centuries of white domination.
However, his latest hospitalisation - his fourth in six months - has reinforced a realisation that the father of the post-apartheid "Rainbow Nation" might be nearing the end of his life.