Mandela’s final moments with wife and former wife – Friend

Nelson Mandela's final moments were spent off a life
support machine with his wife, Graça Machel, and
his former wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela at his
bedside, witnesses have said.
The former president died at his home in Houghton,
Johannesburg, at 8.50pm on Thursday, sending
millions into mourning in South Africa and around
the world.
Bantu Holomisa, a politician and close family friend,
recalled how less than three hours earlier he found
Mandela asleep and struggling to breathe but "still
fighting".
Holomisa, 58, said he received a call on Thursday
afternoon telling him to come urgently. "They said
on the phone that Madiba doesn't look good," he
told the Guardian. "I immediately drove straight to
his home and went to his bedroom."
The time was 6.35pm and Mandela's condition was
clearly deteriorating. "I could confirm this wasn't the
Madiba we've seen since he went into hospital. He
was sleeping with no life support machine. You
could hear from his breathing that he was
struggling.
"Winnie and Graça were at the bedside of Madiba.
You could see the tension. I bowed to acknowledge
them then gave myself a moment of silence with
Madiba, said thank you to the doctors and then left
at 6.50pm for another engagement."
At that point Holomisa did not realise he would never
see his mentor again. "I was still in a state of denial.
He's still fighting, but it was not to be. I was not that
shocked when he died because I had just seen him.
My mind was conditioned from the time I received the
call."
The national outpouring of song and dance in
honour of Mandela's life has moved Holomisa, who
remained close to him despite being expelled from the
African National Congress and setting up the rival
United Democratic Movement.
"It reminds me of the day Mandela was released or,
after his election, the day we inaugurated him as
president. The mood is one of celebration and he
would appreciate it as typical of him," said Holomisa.
Dali Tambo, son of Mandela's friend and ally Oliver
Tambo, was woken by his son with the news at
around midnight on Thursday. He went to
Mandela's home to find Machel, Madikizela-Mandela
and other family members, relatives of the late
Walter Sisulu, as well as President Jacob Zuma and
several government ministers.
Source: theguradian.com