Nelson Mandela Released From Hospital
Having been in fragile health for years, South Africa’s retired president, has been released from the hospital after a successful gallstone removal and lung infection treatment.
The 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate has relocated to his Johannesburg home where he will undergo home-based care until he has fully recovered, states USA Today.
The government statement said, in lieu of providing further details:
“We request a continuation of the privacy consideration in order to allow for the best possible conditions for full recovery”
The former president was admitted on December 8 to a Pretoria hospital and this has been his longest stay in hospital since his prison release in 1990, says Reuters. After his release from prison, he used his popularity to push for amity and equality between whites and blacks, which became the bedrock of the “Rainbow Nation”. He has spent most of his time since then in Qunu, his ancestral village in the Eastern Cape province.
Mandela became South Africa’s first black president after first all-race elections in 1994. Mandela stepped down as president in 1999 after one term in office and has kept a persistent absence from public life for the last ten years.
His poor health has kept him from making any public appearances recently, yet he has continued to receive high-profile visitors, including former US President Bill Clinton earlier this year. Current President Jacob Zuma visited Mandela on Christmas Day, saying the former South African leader was doing much better, and in good spirits.
Maharaj requested the public respect Mandela’s privacy at this time. Here’s to a speedy recovery, Mandela.
