/ 12 December 2012

Presidency says Madiba is getting better

Minister of Defence Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula addressing the media about former president Nelson Mandela being admitted to One Military Hospital.
Minister of Defence Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula addressing the media about former president Nelson Mandela being admitted to One Military Hospital.

"Doctors attending to former president Mandela have reported that he has made progress and are satisfied with the way he is responding to treatment," spokesperson Mac Maharaj said on Wednesday.

Mandela (94) was flown from his home in Qunu, Eastern Cape, on Saturday and hospitalised at One Military Hospital in Pretoria. The presidency said he was suffering from the recurrence of a previous lung infection and was responding to treatment.

"We continue to request that Mandela and his family be accorded the necessary space and privacy and thank the media and the public for co-operation," Maharaj said. 

Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for fighting racist white rule, became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and served one five-year term.

The Nobel laureate later retired from public life to live in the remote village of Qunu, in the Eastern Cape, and last made a public appearance when the country hosted the World Cup soccer tournament in 2010.

He has grown increasingly frail in recent years. – Sapa