Johannesburg: Nelson Mandela was in hospital for "routine" tests on Thursday but his health was not in jeopardy, said the former South African president's foundation in a statement.
"He is in no danger and is in good spirits," the
foundation said, confirming that he attended Milpark hospital
in Johannesburg.
An AFP photographer saw Mandela's wife, Graca Machel,
leaving the hospital at around 5:30 pm (1530 GMT), with four
other family members departing shortly after. His personal
assistant Zelda la Grange arrived at 6:00 pm.
The hospital declined to comment on whether the
anti-apartheid hero would be staying in hospital overnight,
saying it does not give information on patients as a matter of
policy.
Mandela, South Africa's first black president, is
increasingly frail and has not appeared publicly since the
closing ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg.
After his withdrawal from public life in 2004, he
created the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Nelson Mandela
Children's Fund and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation to continue
humanitarian work on his behalf.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, January 27, 2011, 09:20