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JOHANNESBURG — Two young girls accompanied by their mother left proteas outside former president Nelson Mandela’s Houghton home in Johannesburg yesterday. They left cards saying “Dear Madiba. Get better soon. Love Megan [7]”, and “You’ve done so much already, now rest”.
The girls were among visitors who came to the house to wish the ailing icon well.
Houghton resident Bernice Sussman, 87, said she wanted to know when she could see her “friend Nelson”.
Sussman and her helper, Martina Lebese, said Mandela and his wife, Graca, would take a walk around the Houghton suburb and visit Sussman for lunch during his healthier days.
A Nigerian tourist also visited the house.
Iyabode Ogunseye was on holiday and came to see where the former president lived.
“You can’t come to South Africa and not see where Mandela lives.”
She said Nigerians were also concerned about Mandela’s health.
“Nigeria loves him. Nobody is ready to say goodbye,” she said.
Mziwenkosi Tantsi, 29, a driver who works next door to the Mandela Houghton residence, showed journalists camped outside the house a photo of him and the ailing icon.
The photo was taken inside the house in 2010 when Tantsi got the opportunity, through Mandela’s grandson Ndaba, to meet him.
“It was like seeing heaven with my own eyes,” Tantsi said in isiZulu.
“It was a dream come true to meet him. I touched his hand and didn’t wash it for two weeks. It just felt wrong.”Tantsi said he was not ready for Mandela to go.
“I’m not ready for him to go. He must leave when things are fixed because things aren’t good right now,”he said.
Earlier, the presidency said Mandela’s condition was “unchanged”.
“Former president Nelson Mandela remains in hospital, and his condition is unchanged. Madiba was admitted on Saturday, 8 June 2013, for treatment in a Pretoria hospital for a lung infection,” the presidency said.
“President Jacob Zuma reiterates his call for South Africa to pray for Madiba and the family during this time.”
This was the first update in more than 48 hours since the presidency announced on Saturday morning that Mandela was in a “serious but stable” condition after being admitted to a Pretoria hospital in the early hours of that morning.
The media continued camping outside his house in Houghton and a Pretoria hospital where he was believed to be admitted.
Meanwhile, the ANC is taking responsibility for the liquidation case against the ANC Youth League, the league’s national task team (NTT) said yesterday.
“Our worry is that if this continues it has the potential to force us to wind down political activities we have been working on,” NTT convenor Mzwandile Masina told reporters in Johannesburg.
“We are working with the ANC to amicably resolve the matter satisfying all the parties involved.”
The NTT felt there was no legal basis for the liquidation application.
The ANCYL has been accused of failing to pay Z2 Presentations, trading as University Events Management (UEM), nearly R15 million for its national congress in the Free State in 2008, when its expelled leader Julius Malema was elected.
The sheriff reportedly twice tried to seize ANCYL assets, but found there were none.
In an answering affidavit, ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said the youth league had no assets and no funds to be liquidated to pay its outstanding debts.
Judgment on the application to have the ANCYL liquidated was reserved in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Friday. Acting Judge Tony Mundell said the matter was “novel” and that he would take some time to reach a final decision.
In another development expelled ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema’s cabbage and tomato farm in Limpopo was yesterday auctioned for R2,5 million, the SABC reported.
The national broadcaster said the successful bidder was Calli Calitz from Vencor — an abattoir in Polokwane.
The 140ha farm was seized by the Asset Forfeiture Unit in March as part of selling off Malema’s assets to settle his unpaid tax bill.
Park Village Auctions advertised that the farmhouse had four bedrooms, a lounge-cum-dining room, an enclosed patio, kitchen with scullery, and a study nook.
A thatch rondawel was on the property, as was a swimming pool and garage workshop, among other features. There was also a partially completed second house on the property.
Another of Malema’s properties was auctioned last month.
The half-built mansion in Sandown, Johannesburg, fetched R5,9 million on auction. — SAPA.
Bongani Ndlovu