Post date: Sep 01, 2013 10:44:3 AM
Anti-apartheid leader and former South African President Nelson Mandela is discharged from hospital and returns home after being treated for a recurring lung infection, the government says.
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA (AUGUST 31, 2013) (REUTERS) - Anti-apartheid leader and former South African President Nelson Mandela returned to hisJohannesburg home on Sunday (September 1) where he will continue to receive intensive treatment and care after spending three months in hospital with a lung ailment.
Mandela, 95, had spent 87 days in a Pretoria hospital after he was rushed there in early June suffering from a recurring infection in the lungs - a legacy from his time in jail under apartheid - that has dogged him for years."Madiba's condition remains critical and is at times unstable. Nevertheless, his team of doctors are convinced that he will receive the same level of intensive care at his Houghton home that he received in Pretoria," South Africa's presidency said in a statement. It referred to Mandela by the traditional clan name by which he is affectionately known.
An ambulance convoy was seen arriving at Mandela's home, at Houghton in Johannesburg on Sunday shortly after the news broke of his hospital discharge, though it was not immediately clear if it was the one transporting him home.
His latest hospitalisation in June had attracted a wave of attention and sympathy at home and across the world for the revered statesman, who is admired as a symbol of struggle against injustice and of racial reconciliation.
On Saturday, before his discharge, well-wishers at the Mediclinic Pretoria were already anticipating news of his release.
"It makes us feel great. It's good news that he has recovered. It's everyone's prayer in South Africathat he has to recover, and after such a long time that he's been in the hospital, it's great news and a relief that he's going home," said one woman.
"The doctors have seen that they've done enough for him in his condition. They've been stabilising him for quite some time now. Maybe they've seen that there won't be more improvement or such on him or maybe... so they've discussed with the family to release Tata to go home," a man said.
The presidency said that during his three-month stay in hospital the condition of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate "vacillated between serious to critical and at times unstable".
His Houghton home had been "reconfigured" to allow him to receive special care there, the presidency added. Police blocked off a section of the street in the upscale neighbourhood, where a crowd of reporters and camera crews had gathered.
"The health care personnel providing care at his home are the very same who provided care to him in hospital. If there are health conditions that warrant another admission to hospital in future, this will be done," the presidency added.
Mandela celebrated his 95th birthday in hospital on July 18, showered with tributes from around the world. Thousands of well-wishers had visited the Pretoria medical facility during his stay there to leave flowers, cards and gifts.
The anti-apartheid leader spent nearly three decades in prison before being released and was elected South Africa's first black president in multi-racial elections in 1994 that ended white minority rule.
Mandela's 27 years in prison under apartheid included 18 years on the notorious Robben Island penal colony. His lung infection dates back to this time, when he and other prisoners were forced to work in a limestone quarry.
The presidency requested that Mandela and his family be given "the necessary private space so that his continuing care can proceed with dignity and without unnecessary intrusion."