Pretoria - An Eastern Cape boy beat the morning rush to be the first to wish former president Nelson Mandela well at the Mediclinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria on Wednesday morning.
Unelo Waar of East London said he wanted to see get-well messages left for the ailing Mandela at the hospital.
“I arrived in Pretoria on Tuesday. I am on a holiday and decided this morning to come and see flowers and cards people had left for Mandela. I wish him a speedy recovery.”
He took pictures of flowers, cards, and posters bearing messages wishing Mandela well.
“I will present the photograph to my friends in East London as evidence that I read messages left for Tata.”
The wall outside the hospital resembles a wall of remembrance with get-well messages covering it.
Passers-by stopped to take pictures of Mandela's poster. Others posed with Mandela's portraits, while some read messages left for him.
Freelance photographer Maxwell Modau of Dobsonville in Soweto said he had been able to make money photographing people outside the hospital since Saturday.
“The money is good. It is better than what I make taking pictures at recreational parks. I take home an average of R300 every day.”
He said he saw an opportunity for business when he visited the hospital on Saturday.
“People use their cellphones to take pictures but others need someone to photograph them. I had brought my camera and portable printer. I took pictures and printed them immediately,” he said.
Mandela was admitted to the hospital for a recurring lung infection on June 8.
He is in a critical but stable condition. - Sapa