Beloved former leader Nelson Mandela is said to be in stable, but critical condition.
According to the Huffington Post, his former wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, told South Africa’s Sunday Independent newspaper that 95-year-old Mandela is “quite ill” and is unable to speak due to tubes that are keeping his lungs clear of fluid. He is communicating with family and friends using facial expressions.
Mandela fell ill on June 8th due to a recurring lung infection, he has remained in an intensive care unit in his home since his release in September. “He remains very sensitive to any germs, so he has to be kept literally sterile,” said Madikizela-Mandela.
In other Mandela family news, Madiba’s granddaughter, Zoleka, has released book, When Hope Whispers. It documents the trials of her famous family’s involvement in the fight against apartheid, her substance abuse struggles, the loss of her two children and her fight against breast cancer.
“There’s a social responsibility, I can’t run away from, and instead I embrace it,” Zoleka told the Associated Press about being a Mandela. “One of the things I learned so much about my grandparents is that you always have the power in you to make a difference in somebody else’s life despite your own challenges, and I think that’s what I am trying to do.”
The book was released in South Africa on November 12th.