OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Saturday
DOCTORS said on Friday they had found an “abnormality” in the blood of 82-year-old Nelson Mandela, but that it presented no threat to his life.
Mandela himself, frail, but beaming, said: “I feel good … I know that I’m not going to die tonight.”
Doctors Michael Kew and Michael Plit told reporters at Mandela’s Johannesburg home that they had found an abnormally high level of prostate-specific antigen during a routine examination about 10 days ago.
Mandela underwent an operation in 1994 in which part of his prostate was removed.
Said Plit: “A panel of urologists will now be looking at the prostate and make further tests on that abnormality. Mr. Mandela remains very well. He has no symptoms whatsoever.
The antigen is “a product from the prostate that one finds in higher quantities in the blood in some prostatic diseases,” Kew explained.
Both doctors refused to speculate on any diseases ahead of the next tests when asked if the antigen could indicate cancer of the prostate.
Plit said: “We decided to do this so that there would be no negative speculation in the media (about his health), which is bad for the country.”
Mandela said he would visit Arusha, Tanzania, on Sunday and Monday, as planned, for peace talks on Burundi.
Mandela, who is the chief mediator on that central African country’s civil war, said he would also carry out a planned visit to Paris December 10-12 for a donor conference on Burundi.
Mandela also said he saw no need to get involved as a mediator in Middle East peace talks, but accused major powers of being more concerned with seeking accolades than results.
“I don’t think that there is any necessity for me to do so. Firstly I am busy with Burundi and of course I’m not young and I need to sit down with my grandchildren and rest a bit,” the 82 year-old statesman added.
Mandela accused the major powers, including the United States, Britain, France and Russia, of being more concerned with accolades than results.
“None of these … powers are really interested in peace, what they are really interested in is who is going to have the honour of having brought about peace,” he said. – AFP