FREE
ESTABLISHED 1991
WEDNESDAY 35 JULY 2013
WWW.EXPRESSNEWS.CO.ZA
Nation unites in prayer
} Sidwell Guduka
MEMBERS of different churches from across the Free State on Sunday gathered at the Vista Arena in Bloemfontein to pray for the ailing Nelson Mandela. The former South African president, who turns 95 on 18 July, has been in the Mediclinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria since 8 June due to a recurring lung infection. Speaking during the service Gwede Mantashe, ANC secretary-general, appealed to the nation to come together to pray for the democracy icon. “We must pray for Mandela and celebrate his long life because long life is a blessing. As we pray we must be in a celebratory mood. We must not be in a sombre mood as if we are mourning. A life well-lived is never mourned, but it is celebrated,” he said. “I appeal to every congregation in the country to pray for a speedy recovery. We must not ask God to take his life away when we pray. We love Madiba and we still need him. Abraham (in the Bible) died at the age of 175,” he added. Mandela has a long history of lung problems, dating back to the time when he was a political prisoner on Robben Island during apartheid. While in jail he contracted tuberculosis. Rolihlahla, as he is affectionately known, is revered for leading the fight against white minority rule in South Africa and then preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years. “We are learning from him. He was incarcerated for 27 years, but he came back to forgive. It is in the nature of the ANC to forgive,” Mantashe said. Mandela served as the country’s first black president from 1994 to 1999. He left power after five years as president. In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He retired from public life in 2004 and has not been seen in public since the 2010 Fifa World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands on 11 July at the FNB Stadium. Ace Magashule, Free State premier and ANC chairman in the province, Sisi Ntombela, MEC for Social Development, Tate Makgoe, MEC for Education, and other members of Magashule’s cabinet on Friday visited the hospital where Mandela is said to be in a critical condition. Meanwhile, Magashule thanked leaders of different churches from across his province for allowing the youth to attend prayer services on Sunday.
ACE MAGASHULE speaks to the media outside the Mediclinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria on Friday.
Photo: Craig Nieuwenhuizen/Photo24
Paper now on your cell phone } Nico Gous
RECOVERING: Nelson Mandela.
Photo: Theana CalitzNelson/Mandela Foundation
VOLKSBLAD’S affiliated local media is rolling out mobi sites for your local newspaper. The mobi site, short for mobile site, is specially designed for your phone. If you read Express on your phone now, what do you see? The text is too big. Why? What you see is the website built for your computer screen crammed into
that small screen. The mobi site will adjust content to your phone’s screen, offering you the best reading experience. You will be carrying your community news in your back pocket. Now what? Accessing news remains the same: ) Open your phone’s internet browser. ) Enter www.expresspaper.mobi ) Voilà!
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