NELSON MANDELA ON 'DEATHBED' AS FAMILY & FRIENDS GATHER AT HIS HOUSE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Mr Mandela, 95, is receiving home-based medical
care after being discharged from hospital in
September
Nelson Mandela’s family and friends were
gathering at his house last night, just days
after his eldest daughter said the revered
former South African statesman was “on his
deathbed”.
Two of Mr Mandela’s granddaughters and
Bantu Holomisa, a close family friend, were
among those seen entering the house in the
Johannesburg suburb of Houghton, along
with military personnel responsible for the
former president’s health.
With little explanation for the large
contingent, there were rumours that the 95-
year-old’s ailing health had once again taken
a turn for the worse.
One family friend said he had been told Mr
Mandela’s condition had “deteriorated quite a
bit”, but could not give further details.
“Things are quite gloomy,” he added.
Mac Maharaj, President Jacob Zuma’s
spokesman, said he was seeking an update
from Mr Mandela’s doctors “because of the
rumours journalists are coming up with”.
The development came as the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge attended the London
premiere of the Mandela biopic Long Walk to
Freedom, in which South Africa’s first black,
democratic president is played by British
actor Idris Elba.
Mr Mandela’s daughter Zindzi, who also
attended the screening at the Odeon in
Leicester Square, told journalists her father
was “fine” but “frail”.
“My father is fine. He’s 95 years old and he
is pretty frail. We are hoping to see more of
him,” she said.
She revealed that Mr Mandela has seen some
clips of the film, which is adapted from his
autobiography of the same name and stars
Elba as the former South African president.
Earlier this week, Mr Mandela’s eldest
daughter Makaziwe described him as fighting
from his “deathbed,” but still being “very
strong” and “very courageous”.
“Even when there are moments when you can
see he’s struggling, but the fighting spirit is
still there with him,” she told the South
African Broadcasting Corporation.
Mr Mandela has been receiving round-the-
clock intensive care from 22 military and
other doctors since September, when he was
discharged from a three-month hospital stay
for a lung infection.