News crews scouring the area for survivors . Smith , 94 , has not appeared in public since 2010 . A South African military plane crashed in the mountains as it headed to an airport near the rural hometown of Nelson Mandela , authorities said Thursday . He gets round - the - clock care after abdominal surgery this year .
News crews scouring the area for survivors . Smith , 94 , has not appeared in public since 2010 . He gets round - the - clock care after abdominal surgery this year .