Obama Heads To South Africa With Mandela On His Mind

US President Barack Obama flies to South Africa today hoping to pay homage to the legacy of his critically ill hero Nelson Mandela, who is fighting for his life in hospital.

Mandela’s ill health means the two men, who shattered racial boundaries on either side of the Atlantic, are not expected to have a long-anticipated meeting for the cameras.

Still, reflections on Mandela's extraordinary journey from prisoner to president are likely to permeate Obama's three-day stay.

Mandela, who turns 95 next month, was rushed to hospital three weeks ago with a recurrent lung disease and has since appeared close to death.

Meanwhile Obama, the United States's first black president, led a chorus of support for the man he dubbed a "hero for the world." Mandela's plight has lent a deeply poignant tone to the visit, around which Obama has built a three-nation Africa tour, and his plans could yet be upended by sudden developments in the ex-president's condition.

"The president will be speaking to the legacy of Nelson Mandela and that will be a significant part of our time in South Africa," said deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes.

"The president will treasure any opportunity he has to celebrate that legacy." The White House says it is in the hands of the Mandela family and the South African authorities on any aspect of the visit.

"We will obviously be very deferential to the developments that take place and the wishes of the family and the South African government," Rhodes said.

A visit by Obama to Mandela's former jail cell on Robben Island, off Cape Town on Sunday would now take on extra "profundity", he added.

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