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Nelson Mandela admitted to hospital in 'serious condition' [W:47:W:117]

Jetboogieman

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Former President Nelson Mandela has been admitted to hospital in South Africa with a lung infection.

A presidential spokesman said he is in a "serious but stable condition", although he was able to breathe on his own - a "positive sign".


Mr Mandela, 94, has been ill for some days but deteriorated overnight and was transferred to a hospital in Pretoria.


He led the fight against apartheid and is regarded as the father of democratic South Africa.

BBC News - Nelson Mandela admitted to hospital in 'serious condition'


I was awfully quiet on the subject last time he want to hospital.

But I believe this is it.

Whether it be today or I dare say within the next 7 days we will lose one of the greatest human rights icons in the history of the world.

As a South African, born when the New South Africa began to take it's first roots... I cannot even begin to express the sadness I feel.

He is the father of the nation, him and De Klerk saved us from certain civil war, I am here today, typing this because of what they did.

I can only hope his dream for a better South Africa continues, we still have great challenges ahead.

During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.



There's a few people on this board that feel the need to knock him at all times, I know Mandelas not perfect but I will not address any of their criticisms today.
 
South Africa is one of the countries I want to live in too bad but after Mandela the ANC went downhill into the depths of corruption.
 
I don't know as much about him as I probably should or what the criticisms against him are (something about communism?) but I've always liked this quote and it seems to fit;

"“It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; Who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

President Theodore Roosevelt

Speech at the Sorbonne

April 23, 1910"

http://www.terrystarbucker.com/2009...s-reflections-on-roosevelts-man-in-the-arena/
 
truly a great man. i know that he is quite elderly, but i hope that he rallies. if he doesn't, he'll be honored by the whole world. his strength is an inspiration.
 
Oh Madiba :(

Sajo jon te i fe
tomorrow,
see you tomorrow.
 
People I know who are more familiar with his health in recent years say he hasn't spoken in years, possibly a dementia symptom. He's probably tge single most respected living statesman in the world. It's never easy to see someone leave this life but he's certainly made a mark on history with his and lived a very long life. In fact, one of the motives of releasing him from prison years is the apartheid government was afraid he would die in prison making his a martyr and inspiring countrywide unrest. He's done so much after being free and outlived Botha.

Triva: The name Nelson Mandela was not the name he had at birth but later given to him when he started attending school. His birth name is, and this is just phonetically spelled, Rowe-lee-HLA-hla or possibly Rowe-lee-CLA-cla. I have no idea how its spelled but I think I contains the letter X. His tribal language is Xhosa pronounced TOE-sah.

For the latest news from South Africa:

..:: Talk Radio 702 ::..
East Coast Radio | Live Audio Stream
 
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Those who have even been around Mandella can't help be be awed by the man. The world will be mush poorer when he leaves this mortal world and I can only hope that his goodness will live on for generations to come.
 
I did.

He murdered people and he is a racist. He destroyed the country of South Africa.

Actually, I'm nobody to be lecturing anybody. I was just thinking how those "witch is dead" comments immediately after Thatcher died seemed pretty cold.
 
In a way, yes. It was what replaced white Apartheid.....Black racism.

You mean when he presented the Rugby World Cup Trophy to the Afrikaner captain, wearing his Jersey?

Or when he said "courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace."?
 
In a way, yes. It was what replaced white Apartheid.....Black racism.

Whites still rule most sectors it's just the poorer labourers now have to compete with blacks which can do the same thing and as a country South Africa is growing with both whites and blacks, the ANC may have some racist policies and are corrupt but there are other parties in South Africa like the DA which have proven themselves to be very effective at government.
 
Whites still rule most sectors it's just the poorer labourers now have to compete with blacks which can do the same thing and as a country South Africa is growing with both whites and blacks, the ANC may have some racist policies and are corrupt but there are other parties in South Africa like the DA which have proven themselves to be very effective at government.

Then why is the country of South Africa such a disaster?
 
Then his followers were not courageous.

I cannot logically expect a man to be able to completely control his thousands, perhaps even millions, of followers. Yes, there was violence. It was unfortunate.

But what was the other option? Apartheid?

Neither action was perfect, but one was by far the lesser of two evils.
 
I cannot logically expect a man to be able to completely control his thousands, perhaps even millions, of followers. Yes, there was violence. It was unfortunate.

But what was the other option? Apartheid?

Neither action was perfect, but one was by far the lesser of two evils.

You could very well be correct, however, what that country has today is abject failure of government.
 
Then why is the country of South Africa such a disaster?

Well places like Cape Town aren't and are actually nice but of course there are the townships, the black community had to start from nothing and get over the discrimination. Mandela was the first and last leader of the ANC that tried to change he wanted to make blacks and whites equal not for blacks to be superior. What they need now is the DA and from what I have read they may have a chance to gain more and more seats very election as the ANC does nothing they have proven they can do something. People also hve rights now and living standards are slowly but surely rising.
 
Their economy is terrible. The standard of living goes down. The crime rate is appalling. The un-employment rate is at record levels. Public health is almost non existent after years of denying there was an AIDS problem.

That's enough to get started.
 
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