Greeted by South African president Jacob Zuma and First Lady Tobeka Zuma at the Union Buildings in Pretoria
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The Rest of the Day in South Africa:
All times US Eastern
9:30 AM: The First Lady hosts a conversation with youth, organized in conjunction with MTV Base, an African youth and music TV channel, and Google+. The First Lady will be joined by teenagers from across South Africa, as well as students joining virtually in cities around the U.S. via Google+ Hangouts, including in L.A., Kansas City, New York City, and Houston
WH.gov * WH Google+ * Also live on YouTube
9:50 AM: President Obama takes part in a Young African Leaders Initiative Town Hall, University of Johannesburg – Soweto
White House Live * YouTube
11:55 AM: President Obama meets with African Union Chairwoman Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
2:05 PM: The President and First Lady attend an official state dinner with President Zuma, Union Building, Pretoria
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WH: POTUS and FLOTUS will meet privately with Mandela’s family. They will not visit Mandela in the hospital.
— Kristen Welker (@kwelkernbc) June 29, 2025
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More live streaming links for today:
Reuters * CBS (UStream) * CBS (Widget) * eNCA (South Africa)
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The press conference:
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AP: President Barack Obama on Saturday encouraged leaders in Africa and around the world to follow former South African President Nelson Mandela’s example of country before self, as the U.S. president prepared to pay personal respects to relatives who have been gathered around the critically ill anti-apartheid icon.
“We as leaders occupy these spaces temporarily and we don’t get so deluded that we think the fate of our country doesn’t depend on how long we stay in office,” Obama said.
…. Obama referred to Mandela by his clan name as he praised South Africa’s historic integration from white racist rule as a shining beacon for the world. “The struggle here against apartheid for freedom, Madiba’s moral courage, this country’s historic transition to a free and democratic nation has been a personal inspiration to me, it has been an inspiration to the world,” Obama said.
“The outpouring of love that we’ve seen in recent days shows that the triumph of Nelson Mandela and this nation speaks to something very deep in the human spirit, the yearning for justice and dignity that transcends boundaries of race and class and faith and country,” Obama said. “That’s what Nelson Mandela represents, that’s what South African at its best represents to the world, and that’s what brings me back here.”
Zuma told Obama he and Mandela are “bound by history as the first black presidents of your respective countries.”
More here
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Ari Shapiro (NPR)
President Obama and South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma hold a joint news conference
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This is an incredibly powerful video, the First Lady talks about the First Family’s visit to the ‘House of Slaves’:
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First lady Michelle Obama walks with Marieme Faye, wife of Senegal’s President Macky Sall, to Air Force One as the first family departed Dakar, June 28
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A man wears a t-shirt with a portrait of President Obama outside the Pretoria hospital where Nelson Mandela is being treated
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A group of wellwishers sing and pray for the health of Nelson Mandela outside the Pretoria hospital
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A mural showing former South African President Nelson Mandela is pictured near his former house in Alexandra township
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MooooOOOOoooorning everyone - and thank you again to the earliest of early birds, the mighty UT. More in a while.
White House.gov
An Official Good morning to TOD
Another stupendous Rise and Shine, Chips
w00t CEB #1! :-)
Mooooooorning CEB, moooooooorning everyone - and HUUUUUUUGE thanks again to UT for starting the day, the girl’s a treasure!
Congrats, CEB … and it’s Chips in for the win! I’ll add my thanks to both UT and you for all of this beauty, first thing in the mornin’!
Thanks, all.
Got to see the speech this morning
G’morning Chips, TOD, lurkers, everyone, and congrats CEB on #1 :)
Thanks, hf
Good morning all. Beautiful R&S, Chips.
Good Morning Chipsticks, TODers…Everyone!!!!
(Repeating from last post) Taking advantage of the downtime I have this morning to catch up on the President’s trip to Africa, as well as the other news that is taking place. I am loving the pictures from the the First Family’s travels in Africa. Thanks to you and the other blog tyrants and TOD contributors for the pics, videos, tweets, and links. I don’t have to worry about not being on hand to see the different events because I know I can come here to catch up on everything I’ve missed. :-)
Hope everyone has a wonderful day!
I love the way that FLOTUS is holding hands (in her famous double-clasp) and leaning in closely as she speaks with Senegal’s First Lady. This is a sign that a bond was formed during the visit.
Love that she is wearing that dress, too.
I am so thankful the Obamas are our First Family — can you imagine Lady Laura holding hands with the First Lady of Senegal….at least not as warmly as Michelle Obama.
Good Saturday Morning Everyone!
The wild Pit Bull saga has ended. Animal Control just picked him up and said they will attempt to find a home for the dog. They say he probably was dumped out here since we live in a more rural area. Such a shame. What a weird 24 hours!!
Thanks everyone for keeping me sane during my imprisoning.
Have a great day!!
Hi Donna, glad to hear that the saga is over and you are now free to come and go as necessary :) Hope they are able to find him a good home. Enjoy your weekend!
Only a Republican would dump a dog.
Good bumper sticker lingo!
Hey, Donna, I am glad you are OK. But you know, because I don’t know the back story about what’s been going on, for a moment there when I saw, “The wild Put Bull saga has ended…Animal control just picked him up…..” I thought you were talking about the WH press corp before I read further.
But I am glad you are fine.
:). But that’s an insult to the dog.
:) :)
True dat.
Donna, so glad they finally got there. Hope the rest of the weekend is much better.
I thought you had moved. :)
Hope the poor thing finds a good home. What kinda heartless animal dumps a pet just like that?
yay donna - wow animal control took quite awhile to get to your house. geeze. I have family that are farmers and they tell me stories too of how people from town just dump their unwanted animals out on the roads by their farms. Really a shame. Glad you are safe! :-)
Dog gone it Donna!
Good morning everyone. What a beautiful rise and shine, especially the video narrated by Flotus. This visit has already generated great interest, inspiration and sentiment. It is joyous and tearful at the same time.
My first time seeing it this morning and you are so right Almablanca about the video of POTUS and FLOTUS visiting Goree Island.
seriously. the NFL is scared of the GOP? smdh
Good Morning TODers. I am so enjoying the pictures and videos.
a4alice, I don’t think the NFL is scared of the GOP. Most of the owners of the NFL (corporations) are Republicans/Libertarians.
mmmm. in cooperation then!
The sound is not there for the news conference. So we have another video? Good Morning everyone. Congrats on 1st CEB.
It’s working for me Roberta
Me too.
Phew, thanks UT!
Thanks, Roberta.
I am getting sound but there is interference, a sort of static sound and the volume is affected somewhat as well (my media player’s sound control is on high).
My sound is pretty bad. I’ll ask hubby if there is another media player I can use.
Great pictures Chiparoo.
That video is incredibly powerful:
Great vid. Go Flotus.
Just stunning in every way. FLOTUS is magnificent. These are the heartfelt and sincere things she does that make us love her dearly!!
Isn’t it the most powerful video, Meta? Her narration was just magnificent, she’s something else.
Stunning and powerful is a perfect description. She brings such vivid color and life to those tragic events without exaggeration or hyperbole.
Gooooodd morrininggggg, Chips and TODville!!
Oh my goodness, what a treasure trove of information and visuals. THANK YOU so much to all the blog tyrants for their constant updates and aggregation of incredible multi-media. The video of FLOTUS narrating their trip to Goree Island is so beautiful, so unique - a MONUMENT to HOPE. WOW.
OK, who’s got the freshly brewed coffee!!
Chills. This is so powerful.
More than 20 years ago my husband (before we were married) and several AA journalists traveled to Senegal. He went to the door of no return. I’ve been scrambling this week looking for the picture he took there.
The President’s townhall has been pushed back to 9:50 so it won’t completely overlap with the First Lady’s Google Hangout:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Good that it was changed; I wondered about that when I saw the earlier posted times.
Although the Google+ Hangout doesn’t seem to have started yet. I’m ready whenever they are!!! :) :)
Live YouTube link for the First Lady’s Google hangout:
Wonder if they’re having technical difficulties?
Good morning all! It is so sad that millions of Americans are being deprived of all of this historical information due to the ridiculous media! Thank you Chips, you are wonderful!
Live YouTubelink for the President’s townhall:
Also at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Link has video.
wonderful R/S Chips! Thankya! :D
A pleasant Good Morning to my fellow TOD’ers
Town Hall is starting!
That video of Goree Island narrated by FLOTUS is indeed very powerful. I hope it is shown in schools all over the country.
Something hit me listening to her, when she said, “Who would think that I, a descendant of slaves…..” that hit me right in the heart and stomach, and made me think, that every time they see her, or see her, certain people are reminded of this, and they have yet to deal with this stain on our country. This realization keeps them responding in such horrific ways.
I firmly believe there are people who still think slavery was just fine, as it gave them power. They have not accepted at all that “all men are created equal.” We see this today in the suppression of voting rights, in the rush to reinstate those voting tests and restrictions, in the rush to regulate women’s lives and reproduction. To think that all this is happening in the 21st century is appalling beyond human imagination.
We keep hoping this will die with an older generation, but some of that older generation have passed these cruel feelings on to some of their children.
Some time I will write about tracing my grandmother’s family in Texas, and the shame I felt, but that is for another day.
Very well said,Carolyn. The video brought me to tears. Please refrain from reading the comments below the video because it’s been hijacked by teabaggers.
Well, then they pretty well illustrate what I said in my short piece.
what’s in a (middle) name ? A funny read.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23097107
Townhall host: The elections of Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama both ” … have had a profound impact on the African continent.”
So endearing how President Obama gets the exact same applause from the young people in every country he visits! And the one he leads!
The Google + Hangout is starting just as the Townhall. So we will have to watch one after the other.
What a reception for the President! They cheered and sang!!!
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Yes I saw it - and we have LIVE footage of South African youth cheering, singing and applauding “YES WE CAN!” in PBO’s presence.
He is SOOOOO HAPPY!!!!
Just so you are aware - BBCNews & BBCNewsUS has been posted stock photos and pushing a very questionable narrative about anti-Obama “protests” in SA. There are is no live footage and you can hardly discern anything from one picture to the next. But they’re sticking with their bullshit narrative. Wonder who is funding this “project?” Hmmm….
The protests are weird Hopefruit, a strange collection - lots of anti-Israel banners, people accusing PBO of being part of the ‘New World Order’ - :roll: - people blaming him for global warming, of looting Africa, etc. Lots of anti-war protests too.
Yes - have you seen any live footage? I only see a random and incoherent collection of signs, people - whose faces are deliberately obscured, and other parts of the picture blurred so that people can’t tell where or when the so-called protests occurred.
I read an article about this yesterday, and it appears that these are the type of protestors who will protest about anything, They are everywhere. They are even protesting against the non closure of Gitmo.
Have you seen any live footage of the protests? I am extremely skeptical that I haven’t seen any thus far. And the photographs accompanying the articles seem VERY sketchy - they look like stock pictures randomly pulled from a variety of protests over the years at different events. Some of those protests may not have had ANYTHING to do with PBO - but they are being used anyway.
I have reached a point where my distrust of the media (including some “world” media) is so profound, particularly where President Obama is concerned, that I take the pains to give their articles more than a surface reading before I can accept the veracity of the reports.
No, I have not seen any live footage here in the U.S.
You haven’t seen any live footage because there aren’t any real protests going on to speak of. There aren’t any real protesters to talk to be shown live on TV expressing their grievances. These articles are pure propaganda and nothing else, and the pictures are stock photos pulled from previous events.
In the session just now with the Young Leadership Initiative students, a student asked a question referring to the protesters outside.
That last student sounded a bit scripted to tell you the truth, almost as if his question were written for him by a US emoprog. To ask this question the very week after PBO gives a big climate-change speech (which the media conveniently buried) sounds a bit too staged for my comfort.
Also, notice that the student was not specific about anything regarding the environment - he was all over the place and constantly used the term “American foreign policy” conflating that with environmental issues. Then of course he was a bit too hyped up mentioning the protests outside. I can tell the difference between questions asked in earnest and the agenda-driven ones.
I know what you mean - I put some of it down to sounding stilted in a foreign language and in a high-pressure situation. I thought he might be a member of a campus group that opposes or worries about what they know of U.S. environmental policies. However the young man was at least polite and PBO seemed to take it in good part. It didn’t seem to be a ‘gotcha’ question.
Koch, adelson & murky murdoch?
Can’t believe they’re making us choooooose between POTUS and FLOTUS!! WWAAAAAAAA
Yes, the timing was off - but I suspect it’s because time is so limited that there was no choice but to make them coincide.
FLOTUS is starting too.
Hi all, back in a few hours, after ‘the departure’… *sheds a tear*…
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
I love President Obama with all my heart.
Just had to let y’all know!
me too Jacqueline.
I love POTUS too, but I also love FLOTUS.
me too :)
So do I
:)
Et moi aussi!
:)
It’s not fair to have POTUS and FLOTUS speaking at the same time. Not fair! Not fair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(
Unfortunately, I don’t think it was possible to do it any other way - their time is so limited - but thankfully, the talks are archived, so if we miss one, we can always view it later today.
I’m going back and forth to POTUS and FLOTUS, I would like to slap the blank out of whoever had them on at the same time. Darn it.
I feel your frustration, but this may have been unavoidable because are time constraints. It’s inconvenient ror us in a way, but we can always watch one or the other later.
Hopefruit2, don’t take me to seriously. Hopefully I can watch them both later. But I am enjoying going back and forth. Now back to POTUS. See you later.
Don’t you just love the smile on the faces of those leaders that the President highlighted? I do.
If we had never, ever had slavery, it would have been a wonderful thing. However, then we never, ever would have had Barack Obama as our President. I am working with ancient slavery in Ireland and it was bad mostly before Christianity arrived, but also afterwards, and I guess I am very conscious of it and its ramifications at the moment.
This is not a topic we can ever forget - or ignore. We’re all together on that, no matter what country we’re living in!
Now back to FLOTUS.
President Obama explains he felt it was not the optimal time for him to visit Kenya, due to the new administration’s getting underway, but that he has “three years and seven months left” of his presidency, and sounds like he’ll be visiting at a later time! So glad that question was asked, so he could respond in his usual, straightforward manner.
Here is that video the President mentioned - his first Town Hall with young African leaders held at the White House. Zizi brought it to my (TOD’s) attention recently. I draw your attention to the section at approx. 11:10-15:56 or so. Looking at this again last night I suddenly realized from PBO’s answer in this section that China might have gotten their economic foot into Africa (first?) but they went in via the ‘old’ people. PBO and his team reached in to the young people - the future; in keeping with his long view.
It strikes me that the President is in teaching mode here, teaching several different ‘members’ in the audience!
I should have said teaching at several different levels (instead of ‘members’).
I agree vc, and can’t help but notice that the townhall has a very good dynamic. The young people are respectfully asking questions - coming from a place of earnestness and a desire to genuinely learn from a world leader in other to help move their respective countries forward.
There is mutual respect, no political talking points or single-issue agenda. No heckling, no self-righteous accusations, no defensiveness. American press, please take note.
It’s hard to keep up so I don’t know if this has been said, but have you guys noticed how those who address the President do so with respect, using his title?
Smart questions from these young people in SA, Kenya and Uganda. All focused on country trade relations.
Mr president why didn’t you go to Kenya?
Couldn’t you have snuck in a visit?
Are you abandoning Kenya?
Will your relatives be mad in Kenya?
Kenya, Kenya, Kenya…
Really?
I am reading Kristin Welkers timeline…
LMAO! Walker is using the “click-bait” strategy, typically seen the US media. I assume you are also watching the townhall live? And yeah, Walker deserves to be mocked!! :) :)
No at the park with my black lab, and reading. :)
I love his townhalls more than anything… having them in different countries has been a brilliant idea.. and something I hope he will do even after his Presidency.
That would be excellent - wouldn’t it? :)
absolutely, I have never failed to learn from him at these townhalls.. and I doubt I’m alone. I see him in the future putting amazing things together to benefit/ prepare future leaders of the world.. and these townhalls are perfect methods of connecting. Although I would have liked far more questions :)
I totally agree with you sherjr. I love to see him command the stage with ease answering questions.
May I say that I am just bursting with pride watching our President walking back and forth, COMFORTABLY answering questions and putting the U.S official stance out ‘there’, ALL WITHOUT NEEDING AN ADVISER AT HIS SIDE whispering what the answer should be? (We need a ‘PROUD’ smiley.)
You’re not alone vc.
Hi Sheri! PBO does such a wonderful job and shows such knowledge of so many (all?) areas of his job.
yep.. I enjoyed every minute of this morning, listening and learning.
So true. Impossible to imagine any of the past republican presidents nor any of the mediocre potential republican presidential candidates come near the brilliance and depth of character of President Obama.
Incredible intelligence and competence, vision, realism combined with optimism and resilience, patience, empathy, honesty, integrity. He has it all.
If there was such a position of “President of the World”, he would be the obvious choice. He’s a leader for the ages.
Added note: Many democratic presidents were very intelligent and competent, but Barack Obama has something more: profound moral integrity, and a boundless, unselfish, true love for all humanity.
Morning all.
Interesting read:
Finally, the right questions are being asked publicly. I’m sure these questions have been tracked for answers within the FBI and CIA at least.
It is about TIME.
The Main Point of this so called Story.
Thanks that is a good read. Wonder where Snowden is now. He is not walking around in the Moscow airport eating airport food. Someone would have seen him.
FLOTUS program is over, now I will head back to POTUS. But I want to say I have enjoy both POTUS and FLOTUS, And today it just show me again how bless we are to have this President and First Lady. I am so proud of them. So dam proud.
+1,000,000,000,000,000
^^^^^^this^^^^^^
Good Good Morning TODers……it looks like I have missed quite a bit.
Thanks for all the articles, Tweets and photos.
Hardly any of the detailed coverage here is found any other place. Thank You, TOD.
Happy for You, Donna. The Pitbull crisis is Over.
GM Chips, TOD…
My god what an awesome town hall, the young people in Africa are so advance in their thinking as it relates to issues dealing with education, finance, and the environment. I challenge the media and more specifically the press to engage President Obama on the same level as the young people of Africa did.
Public Integrity Unit is reviewing the date change on the abortion regulation in Texas. Doesn’t look like it will go very far, however.
http://www.kxan.com//dpp/news/texas_lege/piu-reviewing-time-change-on-sb5-vote
I started with FLOTUS, caught the last half of her speech and the first questions, then raced over to PBO’s Town Hall. OMG! the Obamas are so gifted and we are sooooo lucky to have them. Their presence onthe world stage has not been matched.
PBO mastered that Town Hall. His breadth of knowledge is breath-taking; his confidence, courage and empathy are without equal. FLOTUS’ passion, conviction, love and humor shown through and opened hearts and minds. I am always so proud of our First Couple and they way in which they represent us daily, but on these foreign trips their skills and the beauty of simply who they are just shines forth even more. We are a lucky people to be represented by them and to be able to bear witness (mostly through the lens of TOD). I sound like a fan girl, but I do not care.
New post:
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/29/welcome-mr-president-3/
That last guy to ask about climate change was interesting. He kept saying “American foreign policy.” It took me a while to figure out he was talking about CC. good grief. He was kinda funny, not hahaha, but funny like, ‘ I don’t quite know what to make of him.’ He was like, ” I want you to tell these young people, they are your children bout American foreign policy towards the environment.” Hm. Funny guy.
His question sounded real scripted to me. There was nothing specific in his question - sounded like a bunch of talking points. And of course, mentioning the protests outside makes for a lovely media soundbite!!