Nelson
Mandela suffered a recurrence of his lung infection and was taken to a hospital
late Wednesday.
In a statement, the current South African
President Jacob Zuma said “we appeal to the people of South Africa and the
world to pray for our beloved Madiba [a nickname for Mandela] and his family
and to keep them in their thoughts.”
“We
have full coidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything
possible to ensure recovery," he added. “The Presidency appeals once again
for understanding and privacy in order to allow space to the doctors to do
their work.”
Mandela, 94, was taken to a hospital just
before midnight local time (6 p.m. ET).
The
statement said that Mandela had the “best possible expert in medical treatment
and comfort.”
“I
can’t say how serious it is,” a presidential spokesman said. “I know [doctors]
will call me if there is an upturn or a downturn.”
Mandela
spent nearly three weeks in a hospital in December for
treatment of a lung infection and gallstone surgery.
This
was his longest time he had been hospitalized since being released from
captivity as a political prisoner in 1990.
He
was also hospitalized earlier this month
for what was described as a "scheduled medical checkup."
Mandela
was president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first president of the
country to be elected following the fall of the apartheid system.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa
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