South Africa’s beloved former president and leader Nelson Mandela is responding to lung infection treatment, reports Reuters.
Affectionately known as “Madiba,” Mandela was flown from his Qunu home on Saturday to a military hospital in the capital of Pretoria.
The government issued a statement regarding the 94-year-old’s condition: “Doctors have concluded the tests, and these have revealed a recurrence of a previous lung infection, for which Madiba is receiving appropriate treatment, and he is responding to the treatment.”
Until recently, details about Mandela’s hospital visit were not known. Officials initially indicated the leader would undergo tests “consistent with his age.”
However, international concerns were raised after Mandela’s wife, Graca, said her partner’s “sparkle” was fading during an interview on South Africa’s eNCA television channel.
Over the past two years, Mandela has suffered a number of health setbacks. In February, he was hospitalized for abdominal problems. He was also treated for a respiratory infection in January 2011. Mandela has remained out of the public eye in recent years, but was last seen at the closing ceremonies for the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.