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SONG FOR MADIBA: The crowd during the recording of the 'Happy Birthday' song for Mandela at the Nelson Mandela Square precinct in Sandton yesterday. Photo: Busi Mbatha

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FORMER president Nelson Mandela made a low-key return to his home in Qunu village yesterday after spending four months in Johannesburg while his Transkei home was being renovated.

Mandela left Qunu, his birthplace, on January 29 this year for Houghton, Johannesburg, but has returned in time to celebrate his 94th birthday on July 18.

Officials said at the time he had left to allow builders to renovate a section of the home he had built after his release from prison in 1990.

As Mandela made the move yesterday, a crowd of about 500 people including music stars such as Yvonne Chaka Chaka, PJ Powers, Kurt Darren and ordinary people gathered at the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton to shoot the Happy Birthday song for him.

The former statesman arrived at Mthatha Airport in a private jet at about 2.15pm. About 30 minutes later he was whisked away in an ambulance accompanied by protection vehicles to Qunu.

His departure or arrival usually causes a spectacle among the locals and the media, but this time only a few people seemed to have caught the whiff of his return.

Presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj said Mandela lived in his Johannesburg and Qunu residences interchangeably, depending on his wishes at any particular time. "He has indicated his wish to go back to Qunu at this point."

The Presidency used the opportunity to remind all South Africans of the need to respect his privacy and that of his family.

On Monday, President Jacob Zuma announced Mandela was in good health.

"We constantly assure him of the love, support and good wishes of millions of South Africans and people around the world."

In January last year, there was a brief global flurry with international media flocking to Qunu when rumours he had been admitted to hospital did the rounds.

The silence from both the government and the ANC fuelled the rumours even further, causing a global outpouring of concern for Mandela. Officials said then he had been admitted for "routine tests", but it later emerged he had had a severe respiratory problem and possibly a collapsed lung.

The government has since then tightened privacy around Mandela's activities and movements.

Comments

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Sun May 19 07:29:14 SAST 2013 ::

May 30, 2012

ntiki

Welcome home old man, you have been a darling of this world we wish you more.
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May 30, 2012

CAKE

U should stay in E.cape and far away from Jozi (the city of evil) otherwise o tlo hwa. Jozi is not gud for u'r health. Too much prostitudes bacteria running around......Ooops...by the way Easterna Cape is the Prostitude Manufacture province...Damn....Come to Limpopo TATA.
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May 30, 2012

Papage

I will be going to My home place Rustenburg(Mmatau) can the media follow me please, just like Tata.
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May 30, 2012

Ritz-Ritz

Welcome home Madiba.
@Cake
U should stay in E.cape and far away from Jozi (the city of evil) otherwise o tlo hwa. Jozi is not gud for u'r health. Too much prostitudes bacteria running around......Ooops...by the way Easterna Cape is the Prostitude Manufacture province...Damn....Come to Limpopo TATA.
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@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
There is no such wena, prostitutes r from Jhb
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May 30, 2012

Nantseka

@All

Dumelang


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May 30, 2012

Nantseka

@Sowetan,I read this from another publication yesterday afternoon.You are such a bore,always bringing news llata,nx!

And while u there yaphapha yaz,whats wrong with my comments


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May 30, 2012

masentha

Tata ke the most wanted ko Eastern Cape Mandla o mo emetse ka mahlo amakgubedu. Tata please dont eat anything from that guy i dont trust him
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May 30, 2012

sabza007

Tata, some people in the Eastern Cape government are tanishing the image of that province. Why are the doctors not paid till now, last time they received their salaries was 5 months back ! Then when leave to other countries we omplain and bring more foreign doctors instead of cherishing our own.
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May 30, 2012

somaartakeit

hopefully he will have time to see for himself how impoverished EC STILL IS!!! and how malnourished ordinary children of the ordinary folk are in the EC, and the dire schooling situation they have to study under, whilst the anc is busy dishing out empty promises!!!
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May 30, 2012

Mbeva

@CAKE
"U should stay in E.cape and far away from Jozi (the city of evil) otherwise o tlo hwa. Jozi is not gud for u'r health. Too much prostitudes bacteria running around......Ooops...by the way Easterna Cape is the Prostitude Manufacture province...Damn....Come to Limpopo TATA."

Limpopo is a witchcraft zone, he will die soon. Now hospitals do not have water

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