dinner in Pretoria

• 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.

More...

• President Obama lands in South Africa but WON'T be visiting ailing statesman Nelson Mandela whose condition remains critical but stable
• 'Mandela is an inspiration to the world': Obama pays tribute to critically-ill anti-apartheid hero as he holds press conference in South Africa
• 'I hope Nelson Mandela will be out of hospital very soon', says South African President Jacob Zuma

She was speaking at an engagement on the first full day of the first family's trip to South Africa which also included the President meeting privately with Nelson Mandela's family as the world anxiously awaited news on the condition of the ailing 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader.
As the nation continues to pray for Mandela, who has been hospitalized since June 8, the first lady also offered her prayers to the ailing anti-apartheid leader she said had 'laid the foundation for all of us.'

Michelle Obama challenged young adults in South Africa to channel the hope that former President Nelson Mandela held while imprisoned at an event on Saturday in Johannesburg

President Obama gestures during a town hall meeting with young African leaders at the University of Johannesburg, he also found time to meet briefly with relatives of ailing statesman Nelson Mandela

Sasha Obama and her cousin Leslie Robinson, sit together before U.S. first lady Michelle Obama speaks at a youth event organized in conjunction with MTV Base

'Our thoughts and prayers are with President Mandela and we hold him and his family in our hearts,' she told the 200 young adults who had gathered at the Sci-Bono Discovery Center in downtown Johannesburg.
The Obamas are in South Africa as part of a tour of three African countries. 
As President Barack Obama spoke to students at the University of Johannesburg's Soweto Campus, the first lady participated in a round-table discussion that was taped for an MTV Base Meets show, a series which connects young people with key influencers in various sectors.

Surrounded by four South African youths who have made significant contributions in their community, Michelle Obama shared her story of growing up without wealth and facing doubts that she could become successful.

She urged students to not be overwhelmed by doubts, to become risk takers and to think about the legacy they will leave for the next generation.

Surrounded by four South African youths who have made significant contributions in their community, Michelle Obama shared her story of growing up without wealth and facing doubts that she could become successful

U.S. President Barack Obama held a joint news conference with South African President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria on Saturday

President Obama met with African Union Commission Chair Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, in Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday

'Now more than ever before, we need you guys to step up as leaders,' she said. 'We need you to be engaged in the pressing matters of our time.'
President Obama is not planning to see the man he has called a personal hero and revered Saturday as 'one of the greatest people in history.'

But Obama did meet with two of Mandela's daughters and eight of his grandchildren at the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, part of the former president's foundation.
Obama said he told the family he hopes Mandela draws comfort from the time he's spending with loved ones.

'I also reaffirmed the profound impact that his legacy has had in building a free South Africa, and in inspiring people around the world - including me,' Obama said in a statement after the visit.
'That's a legacy that we must all honor in our own lives.'

A protester holds a huge poster depicting US President Barack Obama wearing a toothbrush mustache and reading 'I've changed' during a demonstration against Obama's visit to the University of Johannesburg on Saturday

Women of an ANC women's organization sings songs to honor former 

South African President Nelson Mandela in front of his house in Soweto on Saturday

U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are greeted by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Mkoana-Mashabne after arriving in Pretoria, South Africa

Welcome to South Africa: The president arrives in South Africa, but isn't now expected to meet with former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela who is ill in hospital

Obama also spoke by telephone with Graca Machel, Mandela's wife, while she stayed at his bedside in the hospital. Machel said she drew strength from the call and that Obama added a characteristic 'touch of personal warmth.'
'I am humbled by their comfort and messages of strength and inspiration, which I have already conveyed' to Mandela, she said.
President Obama also praised the former South African president's "moral courage" during remarks from the grand Union Buildings where Mandela was inaugurated as his nation's first black president.
Obama also called on the continent's leaders, including in neighboring Zimbabwe, to take stock of Mandela's willingness to put country before self and step down after one term despite his immense popularity.
'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 during a news conference with South African President Jacob Zuma.
Obama's stop in South Africa marked the midway point of a week-long trip to Africa, his most significant engagement with the continent since taking office in 2009.

U.S. President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters 

Sasha and Malia arrive at Waterkloof Air Base in South Africa on Friday evening

Obama's three-day trip to South Africa includes a visit to Cape Town's Robben Island, where Mandela spent 18 years imprisoned

His lack of personal attention on the region has frustrated some Africans who had high expectations for the first black American president and son of a Kenyan man.
Even with Mandela's health casting a shadow over his visit, Obama tried to keep focus on an agenda that includes deeper U.S. economic ties with Africa.
The president dismissed suggestions that he was only investing personal capital on Africa's economy now as a response to the increased focus on the continent by China, India, Brazil and others.
'I want everybody playing in Africa,' Obama said. 'The more, the merrier.'
But the president pointedly called on Africans to make sure that countries seeking an economic foothold on the continent are making a 'good deal for Africa.'
'If somebody says they want to come build something here, are they hiring African workers?' Obama said.
'If somebody says that they want to help you develop your natural resources, how much of the money is staying in Africa? If they say that they're very interested in a certain industry, is the manufacturing and value-added done in Africa?'

The President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are in South Africa 

as the second leg of their three country tour of Africa and arrived from Senegal

 

Air Force One touched down at the Waterkloof Air Base in Centurion, near Pretoria on Friday evening and the President was welcomed with an arrival ceremony