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Nelson Mandela is said to be showing great resilience in hospital though his condition becomes unstable at times.
The 95-year-old South African former leader is “still critical but stable”, according to a statement from President Jacob Zuma’s office.
Nelson Mandela remains in hospital in Pretoria two-and-a-half months after being admitted with a recurring lung infection.
Nelson Mandela is said to be showing great resilience in hospital though his condition becomes unstable at times
The statement largely squares with comments from members of his family.
However, Saturday’s statement does provide some fresh insight into the precariousness of the health of the global icon and the reserves he still appears able to call upon.
The statement said doctors were still working hard to bring about a turnaround in his health and, as a result of medical interventions, Nelson Mandela’s condition tended to stabilize.
President Jacob Zuma, who is travelling to Malaysia on an official visit, urged the country to continue praying for Nelson Mandela and to keep him in their thoughts at all times.
Nelson Mandela, who stepped down as the country’s first black president in 1999, entered hospital on June 8.
The anti-apartheid activist’s lung infection is believed to date back to the period of nearly three decades he spent in prison, for his activities in the African National Congress.
People from South Africa and around the world have sent Nelson Mandela their best wishes, and flowers and other tributes have collected outside Pretoria’s Medi Clinic Heart Hospital.
Nelson Mandela turns 95 while in hospital in Pretoria, as events take place around the world and in South Africa in his honor.
South Africans are being urged to match the former president and anti-apartheid leader’s 67 years of public service with 67 minutes of charitable acts.
Nelson Mandela, who is in critical but stable condition with a recurring lung infection, entered hospital on June 8.
President Jacob Zuma said his health was “steadily improving”.
“We are proud to call this international icon our own as South Africans and wish him good health,” Jacob Zuma said in a statement.
“We thank all our people for supporting Madiba throughout the hospitalization with undying love and compassion,” he said, referring to Nelson Mandela’s clan name.
Nelson Mandela’s daughter, Zindzi, said on Wednesday he had made “dramatic progress”, and that she had found him watching television with headphones on and communicating with his eyes and hands when she visited him this week.
“I should think he will be going home anytime soon,” she told the UK’s Sky News television.
Nelson Mandela’s birthday is also Nelson Mandela International Day, a day declared by the UN as a way to recognize the Nobel Prize winner’s contribution to reconciliation.
The former statesman is revered across the world for his role in ending apartheid in South Africa. He went on to become the first black president in the country’s first all-race elections in 1994.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) said that on this Mandela Day homage was being paid to 95 years of “life well-lived”, dedicated to the liberation of South Africans and people all over the world.
Nelson Mandela turns 95 while in hospital in Pretoria, as events take place around the world and in South Africa in his honor
The day kicked off with millions of school children across South Africa singing Happy Birthday to Nelson Mandela.
To mark the former statesman’s 67 years as a lawyer, activist, prisoner and president, volunteers will spend 67 minutes renovating schools and orphanages, cleaning hospitals and distributing food to the poor.
President Jacob Zuma plans to mark the occasion by overseeing the donation of houses to poor white families in the Pretoria area.
The ANC said that on this Mandela Day homage was being paid to 95 years of life well lived, dedicated to the liberation of South Africans and people all over the world.
Events are also taking place internationally, with an image of a large Mandela painting by South African artist Paul Blomkamp featured in New York’s Times Square.
British entrepreneur Richard Branson has pledged 67 minutes of community service on Thursday to “make the world a better place, one small step at a time”, speaking in a recorded message.
Meanwhile, concerts are planned later this week in the Australian city of Melbourne, featuring local and African artists.
His illness gives extra poignancy to this year’s Mandela Day, correspondents say.
For South Africans, the best birthday present for Nelson Mandela would be to recover and be among the people who love him most.
As the family and millions around the country reflect the role Nelson Mandela played in South Africa, there will be a quiet prayer that he will return home soon.
Winnie Mandela told a local radio station her former husband’s 95th birthday was “a gift not only to the family… but to the nation”.
She rejected the “prophets of doom” who have warned of chaos in South Africa when Nelson Mandela dies.
“The country will solidify and come together,” she told Radio 702.
Nelson Mandela’s third wife, Graca Machel, said last Friday that she was “less anxious” about his health than before and that he was continuing to respond well to treatment.
Thursday also is the 15th anniversary of the couple’s marriage.
Ahead of the anniversary, Nelson Mandela’s close friend and lawyer George Bizos described them as “a loving couple”, the AFP news agency reports.
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Nelson Mandela is being kept alive by a breathing machine and faces “impending death”, a South African court documents reveal.
Nelson Mandela’s health is “perilous”, according to documents filed in the court case that resulted in the remains of his three deceased children being reburied Thursday in their original graves.
Court documents from June 26 said: “The anticipation of his impending death is based on real and substantial grounds.”
Nelson Mandela, who was hospitalized on June 8, remains in critical but stable condition, according to the office of President Jacob Zuma, who visited the anti-apartheid leader on Thursday.
The South African presidency has denied that Nelson Mandela is in a “vegetative state”, and reiterated former statements that the beloved former leader is in a critical, but stable condition.
The Presidency released a statement “clarifying” Nelson Mandela’s condition, Sky News reported.
They said: “We confirm our earlier statement released … after President Jacob Zuma visited Madiba in hospital.”
Nelson Mandela is under around-the-clock care of a team of nurses, the presidency said, hours after the sensational court reports were revealed.
The documents read: “They say the condition of the country’s first black president is <<perilous>>.”
“The anticipation of his impending death is based on real and substantial grounds,” they add.
Nelson Mandela is being kept alive by a breathing machine and faces impending death
The legal papers relate to a bitter legal battle between rival family factions over where Nelson Mandela should be buried.
After examining him last week, the doctors wrote: “He is in a permanent vegetative state and is assisted in breathing by a life support machine.”
Medically, this means he is unresponsive and in a state between coma and death.
“He’s basically gone,” said Charlene Smith, Nelson Mandela’s authorized biographer.
The statements come as the remains of the 94-year-old’s three deceased children were reburied at their original resting site following a court order to return them after Mandla Mandela moved the bodies.
It comes as the feud between Nelson Mandela’s family descended into soap opera farce today when his grandson and heir Mandla accused relatives of adultery and milking the fame of the revered anti-apartheid leader.
In a news conference broadcast live on TV that stunned South Africans, Mandla Mandela confirmed rumors that his young son, Zanethemba, was in fact the child of an illicit liaison between his brother Mbuso and Mandla’s now ex-wife Anais Grimaud.
With Nelson Mandela on life-support in a Pretoria hospital, the escalating feud has transfixed and appalled South Africa in equal measure.
“Mbuso impregnated my wife,” Mandla Mandela said in Mvezo, the Eastern Cape village 450 miles)south of Johannesburg where Nelson Mandela was born and where Mandla serves as the formal chief of the clan.
Mandla Mandela, 39, first raised questions about his son’s paternity last year when he split from French-speaking Anais Grimaud, who has since moved back home to the Indian Ocean island of Reunion. He also revealed then that he was unable to have children.
His attempts to get the family to address the questions of Zanethemba’s paternity had been rebuffed in the interests of preserving a semblance of unity in South Africa’s most famous family, Mandla Mandela said.
“This matter has never been discussed by the so-called members of the family who say that they want to ensure there is harmony in this family,” he said, challenging reporters to conduct DNA tests to confirm his allegations.
“The facts are there. You may go and find out, do the necessary tests that are needed,” he said. His brother Mbuso has denied being the father of the child.
Newspapers have plastered “Mandela vs. Mandela” headlines across their front pages and editorials have bemoaned the cruel irony of bitter divisions inside the family of a man lauded the world over as the epitome of reconciliation between races.
The government said that Nelson Mandela remained “critical but stable” after nearly four weeks in hospital.
The sleepy community of Mvezo, set amid the rolling hills of the Eastern Cape, has been at the centre of a vicious dispute that may ultimately determine where South Africa’s first black president will be laid to rest.
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President Barack Obama has praised Nelson Mandela as “an inspiration to the world”, during his visit to South Africa.
Barack Obama was speaking in the executive capital, Pretoria, after talks with President Jacob Zuma.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, has been critically ill for nearly a week.
Earlier, Barack Obama said he would not visit the 94-year-old in hospital, but would meet his family in private.
The White House said the decision had been made “out of deference to Nelson Mandela’s peace and comfort and the family’s wishes”, but that Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama would offer the Mandela family “their thoughts and prayers at this difficult time”.
President Jacob Zuma said the former leader remained “stable but critical”, but said he had “every hope that he will be out of hospital soon”.
In Pretoria, Barack Obama said Nelson Mandela’s example of “the power of principle, of people standing up for what’s right continues to shine as a beacon”.
“The outpouring of love that we’ve seen in recent days shows that the triumph of Nelson Mandela and his nation speaks to something very deep in the human spirit; the yearning for justice and dignity that transcends boundaries of race and class and faith and country,” he said.
Barack Obama was speaking in the executive capital, Pretoria, after talks with President Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma said that as the first black leaders of their respective countries, Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela were “bound by history” and so “carry the dreams of millions of people in Africa and in the diaspora who were previously oppressed”.
The two leaders addressed a wide range of issues in their conversations, including trade and industry, conflicts in the region, efforts to tackle HIV/Aids and foreign affairs.
Jacob Zuma said Barack Obama’s visit was “well timed” to take advantage of a growing market in South Africa, and called for greater US investment.
He also said he believed the Africa National Congress (ANC), which he leads and which was founded by Nelson Mandela, was still “moving in the footsteps” of the former leader.
“I have no doubt that what we have been doing is part of what Mandela would be doing if he was here,” he said.
When asked whether the US felt threatened by the increasing influence of other countries, particularly China, in Africa, Barack Obama said he believed it was a good thing for the development of the continent, but cautioned South Africa to ensure that foreign companies were employing local workers and investing back into the country.
Barack Obama, who is travelling with his family, arrived in South Africa from Senegal on Friday evening.
During his weekend trip, the US president will visit Robben Island off Cape Town, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. On Monday, he will continue his African tour in Tanzania.
Nelson Mandela is revered for leading the fight against white minority rule in South Africa and then preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected president the following year. He left office in 1999 after a single term.
Nelson Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has rarely been seen at official events since.
He has a long history of lung problems, and was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the 1980s while he was a prisoner on Robben Island.
After his release, Nelson Mandela said that the tuberculosis was probably caused by dampness in his prison cell.
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South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has cancelled a trip to Mozambique on Thursday after visiting former leader Nelson Mandela, 94, who remains critically ill in a Pretoria hospital.
Jacob Zuma’s spokesman Mac Maharaj said his condition had deteriorated “in the past 48 hours”.
South Africa’s first black president has been in hospital since June 8 with a recurring lung infection.
Doctors were doing everything to ensure his well-being, a statement said.
Emotional crowds continue to gather outside the hospital, adding messages of support for Nelson Mandela.
Correspondents say South Africans now seem resigned to the prospect of his death.
“We are all going to feel bad when he passes [away], but at the same time we will be celebrating his life. He has done so many great things for this country,” said 25-year-old John Ndlovu, quoted by Reuters news agency.
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has cancelled a trip to Mozambique on Thursday after visiting former leader Nelson Mandela
Jacob Zuma was due to attend a regional summit in the Mozambican capital Maputo on Thursday, but decided to cancel his trip.
The statement from his office said he “reiterated his gratitude on behalf of government, to all South Africans who continue to support the Madiba family”.
President Jacob Zuma’s decision to cancel the visit to Mozambique where he was to attend a regional infrastructure investment conference will only reinforce the impression that Nelson Mandela’s life is slipping away.
But later Jacob Zuma’s office warned against speculation about Nelson Mandela’s health, saying that announcements about his condition would come from the president himself or Mac Maharaj.
Mac Maharaj criticized some media outlets for broadcasting unverified information, as rumors spread on social media sites.
Nelson Mandela, known by his clan name Madiba, is revered for leading the fight against white minority rule in South Africa and then preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected president the following year. He left office in 1999 after a single term.
Nelson Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has rarely been seen at official events since.
He has a long history of lung problems, and was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the 1980s while he was a prisoner on Robben Island.
After his release, Nelson Mandela said that the tuberculosis was probably caused by dampness in his prison cell.
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Leading South African cleric Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has prayed for ex-President Nelson Mandela’s “peaceful end” as he remains in a critical condition in hospital.
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba visited Nelson Mandela, 94, in hospital in Pretoria, praying with his wife Graca Machel.
Elders from Nelson Mandela’s Tembu clan are due to visit him on Wednesday, local media say.
Nelson Mandela’s condition became critical on Sunday, following his admission on June 8 with a recurring lung infection.
The scene at the hospital, where well-wishers have decorated a wall with flowers and supportive messages, is described as quiet, save for waiting journalists.
It is Nelson Mandela’s third stay in hospital this year with lung problems.
Nelson Mandela, known by his clan name Madiba, is revered for leading the fight against white minority rule in South Africa and then preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years. He left power after five years as the country’s first black president.
Cape Town Archbishop Thabo Makgoba’s prayer, delivered during a visit to the private hospital late on Tuesday, seemed to echo the growing feeling in South Africa that Nelson Mandela is reaching the end of his life, correspondents say.
“May [we] be filled with gratitude for all the good that he has done for us and for our nation, and may [we] honor his legacy through our lives…” reads the prayer, which was posted on Archbishop Thabo Makgoba’s Facebook page.
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has prayed for Nelson Mandela’s “peaceful end” as he remains in a critical condition in hospital
“Grant Madiba eternal healing and relief from pain and suffering. Grant him, we pray, a quiet night and a peaceful, perfect, end.”
Meanwhile, a friend of Nelson Mandela and the leader of the opposition United Democratic Movement (UDM) party, Bantu Holomisa, denied that a row had broken out in the ex-president’s family over funeral arrangements.
Bantu Holomisa, along with Nelson Mandela’s children, grandchildren, traditional leaders and government ministers, met on Tuesday in Qunu, the village where Mandela grew up and spent of his time after he stepped down as president in 1999, South Africa’s Star newspaper reports.
“The purpose of the meeting was to brief the elders about Mandela’s condition…. One does not want to leave the elders behind,” Bantu Holomisa told the local Mail and Guardian newspaper.
The Star reports that it has learned from three sources that Nelson Mandela’s grandson and his traditional heir, Mandla, wants the former president to be buried in the nearby village of Mvezo where he was born.
However, other family members want the burial to take place in Qunu and they also want the bodies of three of Nelson Mandela’s children, including his eldest son, Makgatho, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 2005, to be exhumed from Mvezo and moved back to Qunu, the paper reports.
According to South Africa’s Times newspaper, clan elders are due to travel to Pretoria on Wednesday to visit Nelson Mandela.
The former South African president has children from his two previous wives, Evelyn Mase and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, both of whom he divorced.
Nelson Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has rarely been seen at official events since.
He has a long history of lung problems, and was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the 1980s while he was a prisoner on Robben Island.
After his release, Nelson Mandela said that the tuberculosis was probably caused by dampness in his prison cell.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, remains in a serious but stable condition in a Pretoria hospital, the latest update has announced.
The South African presidency said Nelson Mandela’s condition was unchanged and confirmed that he was in intensive care.
Prayers have been said in churches across the country for ex-President Nelson Mandela, who is being treated for a lung infection.
Nelson Mandela, 94, was taken to hospital early on Saturday, the third time this year he has been admitted.
The presidency said he had been ill for some days at his Johannesburg home, with a recurrence of his long-standing lung problems.
Nelson Mandela was admitted to hospital after his condition worsened at 01:30 on Saturday.
The government said in a statement: “President Jacob Zuma reiterates his call for South Africa to pray for Madiba and the family during this time.” Madiba is Nelson Mandela’s clan name.
In releasing the latest update, presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj also denied that visitors were being blocked from seeing Nelson Mandela.
Mac Maharaj said: “The reality is that the normal procedures when a patient is under intensive care are applying from the medical side.
“Therefore there are limitations on visitors and, you know, that when a person is in intensive care the doctors only allow some very close people to be there – it is not the way it is being presented in the media.”
Nelson Mandela remains in a serious but stable condition in a Pretoria hospital
There is a quiet hope that the man who led the fight against apartheid may regain his strength once again.
Many took heart from a visit on Sunday by Nelson Mandela’s daughter, Zindzi, who said that her father was “well” and “a fighter”.
Nelson Mandela’s wife, Graca Machel, cancelled a scheduled appearance in London on Saturday to remain at her husband’s bedside.
He served as president from 1994 to 1999.
Nelson Mandela was previously imprisoned for 27 years, and is believed to have suffered damaged lungs while working in a prison quarry.
He contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while being held in jail on the windswept Robben Island.
Nelson Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since.
Nelson Mandela: Key dates
- 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
- 1943 Joins African National Congress
- 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
- 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
- 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
- 1990 Freed from prison
- 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
- 1994 Elected first black president
- 1999 Steps down as leader
- 2004 Retires from public life
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Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from Pretoria hospital after treatment for pneumonia, the government has announced.
Nelson Mandela, 94, was admitted on March 27 for a recurring infection of the lungs and had fluid drained from them.
He served as South Africa’s first black president from 1994 to 1999 and is regarded by many as the father of the nation.
Nelson Mandela led the struggle against apartheid (white minority rule) and in 1993 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Nelson Mandela has been discharged from Pretoria hospital after treatment for pneumonia
The South African presidency statement read: “Former President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital today, 6 April, following a sustained and gradual improvement in his general condition.
“The former president will now receive home-based high care. President [Jacob] Zuma thanks the hard working medical team and hospital staff for looking after Madiba so efficiently.”
Madiba is Nelson Mandela’s clan name.
The statement continued: “[Jacob Zuma] also extended his gratitude to all South Africans and friends of the Republic in Africa and around the world for support.”
Nelson Mandela has returned to his home in the Houghton district of Johannesburg.
Nelson Mandela stepped down as president in 1999 and acted as a high-profile ambassador for the country until he retired from public life in 2004.
His latest stay in hospital was his fourth in two years.
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Nelson Mandela has been re-admitted to hospital in South Africa with a recurrence of a lung infection.
A statement from the South African presidency said former President Nelson Mandela, 94, had been admitted just before midnight.
Nelson Mandela spent 18 days in hospital in December undergoing treatment for a lung infection and gallstones.
He is widely regarded as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid.
Nelson Mandela has been re-admitted to hospital in South Africa with a recurrence of a lung infection
Nelson Mandela served as South Africa’s first black president from 1994 to 1999. However, his health has caused concern for some time.
A presidential spokesman said Nelson Mandela was conscious and was receiving the best possible medical treatment.
“I think we need to be clear that the doctors are attending to Madiba [Mr Mandela] on a continuous basis,” spokesman Mac Maharaj said.
“They prefer to act on the side of caution, and the moment they felt there was a recurrence of the lung infection, they felt that it warranted immediate hospitalization given his age and given his history.”
The government statement said President Jacob Zuma wished Nelson Mandela a speedy recovery.
“We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba and his family and to keep them in their thoughts. We have full confidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything possible to ensure recovery,” President Jacob Zuma said.
The former president is often fondly referred to by his clan name, Madiba.
It is the fourth time Nelson Mandela has been admitted to hospital in just over two years.
He first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on the windswept Robben Island where he served 18 of the 27 years he was imprisoned for sabotage.
His lungs are said to have been damaged when he worked in a prison quarry.
Despite his long imprisonment, Nelson Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.
In 1993 Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The treatment Nelson Mandela received in December 2012 was his longest spell in hospital since leaving prison in 1990.
Earlier this month he spent a night in hospital following a check-up.
Nelson Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since.
Nelson Mandela lives in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.
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Barack Obama is due to be officially sworn in for his second term as US president in a small ceremony at the White House.
Although the US Constitution requires the oath of office to be taken by noon on January 20, as that falls on a Sunday the public inauguration will take place on Monday.
Barack Obama will take his official oath in the White House’s Blue Room.
The public ceremony with pomp and circumstance will follow a day later.
Thousands of workers and volunteers have been working to finish construction for Monday’s celebration, with white tents, trailers and generators being set up along the Washington Mall’s parade route as nearby buildings were adorned with red, white and blue bunting,
For his part, Barack Obama rolled up his sleeves and donned gloves to spend Saturday sprucing up a school with other volunteers, as part of a National Day of Service kicking off the inauguration ceremonies – similar to the way he spent the day before his first presidential inauguration in 2009.
Barack Obama urged volunteers to honor the memory of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, whose birthday, a national holiday, falls on Monday. This year is the 50th anniversary of Luther King’s march on Washington.
Barack Obama rolled up his sleeves and donned gloves to spend Saturday sprucing up a school with other volunteers, as part of a National Day of Service kicking off the inauguration ceremonies
In 2009, nearly two million people crammed into Washington to witness President Barack Obama’s first inauguration.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected in Washington for that event – a smaller number than the 1.8m who flocked for the swearing-in of the nation’s first black president in 2009.
They will crowd onto the Mall leading to Congress wrapped up against the cold, to see their president take the oath of office on the steps of the flag-draped Capitol and listen to his speech.
The day will include music from Beyonce and Fun, parades, black tie balls and very tight security.
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Former South Africa’s President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital, the South African presidency says.
Nelson Mandela, 94, will continue to receive treatment at his home in Johannesburg until he has fully recovered, according to a statement from President Jacob Zuma’s office.
South Africa’s first black president was admitted to hospital 18 days ago.
He was treated for a lung infection and gallstones.
Nelson mandela’s wife, Graca Machel, and President Zuma visited him on Christmas Day and said he was in good spirits.
Afterwards, President Jacob Zuma said doctors were happy with the progress Nelson Mandela had made.
In his statement on Sunday, Jacob Zuma thanked South Africans for the messages of good wishes they had sent.
“We request a continuation of the privacy consideration in order to allow for the best possible conditions for full recovery,” the presidency statement said.
Former South Africa’s President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital
The latest stay in hospital has been Nelson Mandela’s longest since leaving prison in 1990.
His grandson, Mandla, said Nelson Mandela’s absence on Christmas Day had “greatly saddened” the family, adding: “We didn’t anticipate that he would be away for so long.”
Nelson Mandela served as South Africa’s first black president from 1994 to 1999 and is regarded by many as the father of the nation.
His health has been a cause of concern for many years.
He first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained in Robben Island prison.
He has been admitted to hospital on three occasions in the past two years.
Nelson Mandela lives in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.
He retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since.
Former South Africa’s President Nelson Mandela will spend Christmas in hospital, a government statement has said.
Nelson Mandela, 94, was admitted to hospital two weeks ago and has been treated for a lung infection and gallstones.
There is growing concern in South Africa about his health.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, was jailed for 27 years for leading the struggle against white-minority rule.
He is regarded by most South Africans as the father of the nation, having inspired them to fight for democracy.
“Former President Nelson Mandela will spend Christmas Day in hospital, his doctors have confirmed,” a government statement said.
With every passing day there is growing public anxiety about Nelson Mandela’s health.
There was hope that he would be allowed to spend Christmas at home, but his doctors are still not comfortable about discharging him.
Former South Africa’s President Nelson Mandela will spend Christmas in hospital
Although President Jacob Zuma has described Nelson Mandela’s condition as “serious”, he has tempered this by saying that he has been “responding” to treatment, our correspondent adds.
The government says he is being treated for a recurring lung infection at a hospital in the capital, Pretoria.
He has also had an operation to remove gallstones.
Nelson Mandela first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on windswept Robben Island prison.
He has been admitted to hospital on three occasions in the past two years.
In January 2011, he was treated for a serious chest infection in Johannesburg.
In February this year, he was again admitted to a Johannesburg hospital because of abdominal pains. He was released the following day after tests revealed nothing serious.
Nelson Mandela lives in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.
He retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since, though he still receives high-profile visitors.
Former US President Bill Clinton visited Nelson Mandela in July.
Jacob Zuma has urged South Africans to pray for him.
Nelson Mandela served as South Africa’s first black president from 1994 to 1999.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, has had an operation to remove gallstones, a government statement says.
The operation was successful and Nelson Mandela is recovering.
Nelson Mandela, who is 94, was admitted to hospital last Saturday after suffering a recurrence of a lung infection.
Tests revealed the presence of gallstones and doctors treating Nelson Mandela decided to remove them once he had recovered from the infection.
The statement claimed: “This morning, 15 December 2012, the former president underwent a procedure via endoscopy to have the gall stones removed. The procedure was successful and (Nelson Mandela) is recovering.”
Nelson Mandela has had an operation to remove gallstones
A gallstone is an accumulation of crystals in the gall bladder. If left untreated, it can become life-threatening because of the risks of secondary infections such as pancreatitis.
Nelson Mandela is regarded by most South Africans as the father of the nation, having inspired them to fight for democracy.
He led the struggle against white-minority rule before being elected the first black president in 1994.
Despite being imprisoned for 27 years by the apartheid government, Nelson Mandela forgave his former enemies and urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.
Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, is being treated for a lung infection, the president’s office has said.
This is the first time officials have revealed why Nelson Mandela, 94, was rushed to a military hospital in the capital, Pretoria, on Saturday.
Tests showed a “recurrence of a previous lung infection”, presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said.
Nelson Mandela is responding to his treatment, Mac Maharaj added.
News of the hospital stay has prompted much concern in South Africa.
The former president is regarded by most South Africans as the father of the nation, having inspired them to fight for democracy.
He led the struggle against white-minority rule before being elected the first black president in democratic elections in 1994.
Despite being imprisoned for 27 years by the apartheid government, after his release he forgave his former enemies and urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
News that the frail Nelson Mandela has another lung infection is likely to generate considerable anxiety.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, is being treated for a lung infection
The officials who have visited Nelson Mandela in hospital since Saturday have all said he is doing well.
He was flown to hospital on Saturday from his home in Qunu village in Eastern Cape province by the military, which is responsible for his healthcare.
Local media reported that the decision to move him was taken so quickly that some family members and his own foundation were initially unaware of it.
But Mac Maharaj has repeatedly said that Nelson Mandela is doing well in hospital and there is no cause for alarm.
Nelson Mandela was last admitted to hospital in February when he was treated for abdominal pain.
In January 2011, he was treated for a serious chest infection.
While in prison in the 1980s, Nelson Mandela was also diagnosed with tuberculosis.
Nelson Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since.
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Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s former leader, has been admitted to hospital in the capital Pretoria to undergo tests, officials say.
The office of President Jacob Zuma said 94-year-old Nelson Mandela was doing well and there was “no cause for alarm”.
Nelson Mandela spent more than two decades in jail under the white minority apartheid regime.
He served as South Africa’s first black president between 1994 and 1999, and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s former leader, has been admitted to hospital in the capital Pretoria to undergo tests
Nelson Mandela has appeared in public only rarely since 2004, when he retired from public life.
In January 2011 he was treated for a serious chest infection, and a year later underwent a diagnostic procedure for an abdominal problem.
The Secret Service was forced to foil repeated assassination attempts on Barack Obama and Mitt Romney during this year’s election campaign, it has been claimed.
An article in GQ made the startling assertion that “several assassination plots were nipped in the bud” by agents during the course of the campaign.
However, some are now skeptical about the claims, insisting that there were no more than a handful of attempts on the lives of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney this year.
Barack Obama, who has long been considered at risk from violent extremism partly because of his historic status as America’s first black President, is protected by a vast Secret Service detail at all times.
Mitt Romney was given official protection in January, as he was beginning to close in on the position of Republican presidential nominee.
His Secret Service detail was withdrawn early on Wednesday morning, just hours after he conceded defeat to Barack Obama.
The moment Mitt Romney’s agents left his side was detailed by GQ‘s Marc Ambinder, who reported that they were called off with the order: “Javelin, Jockey details, all posts, discontinue.”
He also dropped in the tantalizing tidbit: “Protectees were protected 100 per cent of the time. Several assassination plots were nipped in the bud.”
The Secret Service was forced to foil repeated assassination attempts on Mitt Romney and Barack Obama during election campaign
Over the past year, a number of people were reported to have been investigated by the Secret Service for issuing threats to either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.
While most of these threats turned out to be little more than ill-advised tweets born from frustration, a few warranted a more robust response.
Most notably, a group of four soldiers from Georgia hatched a convoluted plot to kill the President and overthrow the federal government.
However, Marc Ambinder’s comments led some to assume that he had information about other threats which were not already public knowledge.
He told Politicker: “There was that guy who shot at the White House from across the ellipse, and then the soldiers arrested for plotting the assassination of the president and others.”
But he added that he did not possess any inside information, defending his description of the multiple foiled threats.
Marc Ambinder later tweeted: “Press folks, please stop bothering the Secret Service. If there are/were other plots, they sure as hell didn’t tell me about them.”
