Obama meets privately with Mandela family

JOHANNESBURG -- Paying tribute to a personal hero, President Barack Obama met privately Saturday with Nelson Mandela's family as the world anxiously awaited news on the condition of the ailing 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader.

Obama, who has spoken movingly about Mandela throughout his trip to Africa, praised the former South African president's "moral courage" in remarks from the grand Union Buildings where Mandela was inaugurated as his nation's first black president.

The U.S. president also called on the continent's leaders, including in neighboring Zimbabwe, to take stock of Mandela's example of putting country before self and stepping 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.

Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe has been in power since 1981 and has cracked down on political opponents, used to be one of the wealthiest countries on the continent, yet "bad governance has led to an economic disaster," Obama said.

Obama's stop in South Africa marked the midway point of a weeklong trip to Africa. He spent 30 minutes meeting privately with two of Mandela's daughters and several of his grandchildren at the former leader's foundation offices in Johannesburg. He also spoke by phone with Mandela's wife, Graça Machel, who remained by her husband's side at the Pretoria hospital where he has battled a lung infection for three weeks.

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.

Obama's focus on trade and business appeared to be well received in Africa, home to six of the world's 10 fastest-growing economies.