- The president meet briefly earlier on Saturday with members of Mandela's family and spoke on the phone to the ailing leader's wife
- He is not now planning to see the man he has called a personal hero
- The First Lady also spoke to young South Africans and shared her own story of growing up without wealth and facing doubts
The President and First Lady ended a busy first full day in South Africa by attending an official dinner along with South African president Jacob Zuma and first lady Thobeka Madiba-Zuma in Pretoria on Saturday evening.
Michele Obama looked stunning in a pleated one-shoulder evening dress which looked to incorporate all the colors of a South African sunset.
The Obamas are staying in nearby Johannesburg overnight before stopping in Cape Town on Sunday and visiting Robben Island, the prison where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in jail.
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President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are greeted by South
Africa's President Jacob Zuma and South African First Lady Thobeka
Madiba-Zuma at an official dinner in Pretoria on Saturday evening
First Lady Michelle Obama looked stunning in a pleated one-shoulder
evening dress which seemed to incorporate all the colors of a South
African sunset
Obama's stop in South Africa marks the
midway point of a week-long trip to Africa, his most significant
engagement with the continent since taking office in 2009. The trip
will close with a visit to Tanzania.
Earlier in the day Michelle Obama challenged young adults in South Africa to channel the hope that former President Nelson Mandela held while imprisoned for 27 years during racist white rule.
Earlier in the day Michelle Obama challenged young adults in South Africa to channel the hope that former President Nelson Mandela held while imprisoned for 27 years during racist white rule.