Mandela critically ill

[janey68]

Not unexpected but nevertheless sad.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23024836

Very sad.

will try to link it this time

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23024836

It is sad and South Africa will be heartbroken when he dies... But I do think there comes a point when people have to be let go of and allowed to slip away.

Obv don't know if this is the case here but I do hope this great man is being treated with dignity and compassion as well as being given the best medical care iykwim.

Sad. :(

He is a very old man, who has been ill a number of times recently.

It is, sadly, no surprise that the illnesses are becoming more frequent and more severe and I think the nation understands this means his life may be drawing to an end.

One hopes he is at peace.

A great man - that is all i can think of to say

A remarkable man able to forgive those who treated him and other black people so badly. It is a miracle he has survived to the age he is now given the hard life he lived as a much younger man and his long time in prison. May god bless him.

Such a wonderful man, without an ounce of bitterness about what happened to him.

The world needs more people like him.

A pity to lose someone who is such a major figure but he is 94 and has been in poor health for a while. Hoping he is peaceful and surrounded by love.

Very sad indeed. What a wonderful person and what an amazing legacy to have left behind. I think he is kind of the modern version of a saint, without the religious aspect. I hope he's peaceful and I hope his family are at peace, too.

He's an extraordinary human being and one that it's especially hard to lose, for many reasons. The world needs more people with his kind of spirit.

Well, he wasn't going to live for ever. He is a very old man, it's not like his life was cut in half.

Um, his life was absolutely cut in half. He was in prison for nearly 30 years for no sensible reason. And he was still able to try to forgive the people who put him there.

Quite Harum

Well said Harum.

We all know he's an elderly man now, in failing health, but it will still be a great loss and very sad when he dies - a real one of a kind that man! I hope when the time comes it is peaceful for him and he's surrounded by his loved ones.

It just sounds like people want him to go on for them and not for him. He mist be really tired, well he is in critical state. Surely better for him to go. I'm not questioning who he is and what he!s achieved.

I disagree that people want him to go on for them. I think people understand that he is old but will regret his inevitable death when it happens. I also think your post of 22:57 was a bit 'off' tbh.

It's sad. But he's 94. He's going to die one day, as is everyone else. When anyone dies it's sad, but he's so important and crucial to SA history and equality in that country. I hope when he eventually dies, soon or in the future, it's peaceful.

Thoughts are with his family.

Drink he was incaretated for long enough wasn't he? WTF?

watch "Invictus"

Harum He wasn't in jail "for no sensible reason". He was in jail for authorising the planting of an ANC bomb which killed and injured innocent civilians. He was offered early release if he renounced violence and refused so remained in jail years longer. Now I agree the regime was abhorrent and that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Mandela fought against apartheid and to claim there was no reason is to trivialise what he stood for.

He has been a great figure in African politics and, in recent years a great advocate for peace and will be sadly missed when his time comes.

timidviper - could you elaborate on the " He was in jail for authorising the planting of an ANC bomb which killed and injured innocent civilians."

I ask as this would be illuminating for the rest of the world. I recall he was imprisoned for 'sedition' against a reactionary and racist regime. But you may know better?

Another lung infection If they manage to prolong his life, his health won't be very good probably and he probably won't have a good quality of life. I hope he isn't suffering.

Even I am no expert on this and am wary of a lot of the information online as, even now, there are still strong feelings amongst some so it may not be impartial. From what I understand Mandela did not plant the bombs himself but was a leading figure in setting up the fighting wing of the ANC and, by his own admission, "signed off" approval for bombs to be planted to further their political cause.

If you Google Nelson Mandela bombings you will find numerous sites showing appalling pictures of the carnage caused by the ANC bombing campaign which killed and maimed many yet seems to have been erased from history. This is one . Here is another but, as I say, I am no expert and cannot vouch for the veracity.

I am a great admirer of Mandela and all that he has achieved since his release from prison but he wasn't always so saintly.