Obama meets Mandela family

U.S. President Barack Obama flanked by First Lady Michelle Obama, left, waves with South African President Jacob Zuma, second right, and his wife Tobeka Madiba Zuma, right, on the steps of Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday June 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

U.S. President Barack Obama flanked by First Lady Michelle Obama, left, waves with South African President Jacob Zuma, second right, and his wife Tobeka Madiba Zuma, right, on the steps of Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday June 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Published Jun 29, 2013

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Johannesburg - President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama met privately on Saturday with the family of Nelson Mandela.

The meeting was held in Johannesburg at the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, which is part of the former South African president's foundation.

It lasted for about an half hour, enough time for a small crowd to gather outside in time for Obama's departure.

The White House didn't say which Mandela family members the Obamas met with.

The president and first lady will not meet with the ailing 94-year-old Mandela, who is hospitalised with a lung infection. The White House says that decision was made in accordance with the wishes of Mandela's family. - Sapa-AP

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