Nelson Mandela was discharged from hospital on Wednesday night after undergoing nearly three weeks of treatment for a lung infection and gallstones.
A spokesman for President Jacob Zuma confirmed that Mr
Mandela was transported to his home in Johannesburg’s Houghton
neighbourhood, where he will continue to recover under the close watch of
his personal doctors.
“He will undergo home-based high care at his Houghton home until he recovers
fully,” Mac Maharaj, the presidential spokesman said.
“We request a continuation of the privacy consideration in order to allow for
the best possible conditions for full recovery.”
Mr Mandela, who is 94, was flown on December 8 from his rural residence in
Qunu village to the capital Pretoria, where he spent 19 days in hospital
receiving treatment for a recurring lung infection.
Doctors also discovered that he had developed gallstones and he had surgery to
have them removed.
It was his longest hospital stay since coming out of prison in 1990 after 27
years in detention.
South Africa’s first black president spent Christmas Day in hospital, where he was visited by wife Graca Machel and members of the Mandela family, along with Mr Zuma, who said he was “looking much better” and “in good spirits”.
It is unclear when Mr Mandela might be allowed to return to his village home in Qunu, in the remote Eastern Cape province, where he spent his boyhood and built a house after being released from prison in 1990.
The ruling African National Congress party earlier in the day called on the country’s religious institutions to say a special prayer for their former leader, who is known in South Africa by his Xhosa clan name “Madiba” – a term of respect and endearment.
“We thank the public and the media for the good wishes and for affording Madiba and the family the necessary privacy,” Mr Maharaj said.
His health has been described as frail in recent years, and his lengthy hospitalisation caused widespread concern for the South African figurehead of the anti-apartheid struggle.
The Nobel Peace laureate was hospitalised in February for one night to undergo a minor surgical procedure to determine the cause of abdominal pain.
In January 2011, he spent two nights at a Johannesburg hospital with an acute respiratory infection. Mr Mandela continued to receive treatment at home after doctors discharged him.
Mr Mandela has a history of lung problems, dating back to his time in jail on Robben Island. He contracted tuberculosis – a disease which killed his father – while in prison.
Mr Mandela stepped down in 1999 after serving one term as president before taking up a new role as a leading campaigner against Aids before finally retiring from public life in 2004.
His last public appearance was at the 2010 football World Cup, which his country hosted, when he toured the stadium in a golf cart ahead of the final match.
South Africa’s first black president spent Christmas Day in hospital, where he was visited by wife Graca Machel and members of the Mandela family, along with Mr Zuma, who said he was “looking much better” and “in good spirits”.
It is unclear when Mr Mandela might be allowed to return to his village home in Qunu, in the remote Eastern Cape province, where he spent his boyhood and built a house after being released from prison in 1990.
The ruling African National Congress party earlier in the day called on the country’s religious institutions to say a special prayer for their former leader, who is known in South Africa by his Xhosa clan name “Madiba” – a term of respect and endearment.
“We thank the public and the media for the good wishes and for affording Madiba and the family the necessary privacy,” Mr Maharaj said.
His health has been described as frail in recent years, and his lengthy hospitalisation caused widespread concern for the South African figurehead of the anti-apartheid struggle.
The Nobel Peace laureate was hospitalised in February for one night to undergo a minor surgical procedure to determine the cause of abdominal pain.
In January 2011, he spent two nights at a Johannesburg hospital with an acute respiratory infection. Mr Mandela continued to receive treatment at home after doctors discharged him.
Mr Mandela has a history of lung problems, dating back to his time in jail on Robben Island. He contracted tuberculosis – a disease which killed his father – while in prison.
Mr Mandela stepped down in 1999 after serving one term as president before taking up a new role as a leading campaigner against Aids before finally retiring from public life in 2004.
His last public appearance was at the 2010 football World Cup, which his country hosted, when he toured the stadium in a golf cart ahead of the final match.
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