South Africa’s first democratic president, Nelson Mandela, is being treated for a respiratory condition at a Johannesburg hospital, according to media reports.
Mandela, 92, was admitted to Milpark Hospital Wednesday where he is reportedly recovering from a collapsed lung.
A news release from the Nelson Mandela Foundation confirmed that President Mandela is comfortable and well cared for. “He is in no danger and is in good spirits,” it said.
In another statement, the foundation urged the media who have set up camp outside the hospital to show Mandela “dignity and respect.”
The statement cautioned, “The media should balance the quest for stories with acting within the bounds of human decency and ensuring the respect for human dignity. The doctors also need to be allowed to do their work without undue pressure.”
Mandela, a longtime human rights activist, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, a year before he was elected president of South Africa. Before his presidency he worked to dismantle the apartheid government and spent 27 years in prison under charges of sabotaging the regime.
Mandela, 92, was admitted to Milpark Hospital Wednesday where he is reportedly recovering from a collapsed lung.
A news release from the Nelson Mandela Foundation confirmed that President Mandela is comfortable and well cared for. “He is in no danger and is in good spirits,” it said.
In another statement, the foundation urged the media who have set up camp outside the hospital to show Mandela “dignity and respect.”
The statement cautioned, “The media should balance the quest for stories with acting within the bounds of human decency and ensuring the respect for human dignity. The doctors also need to be allowed to do their work without undue pressure.”
Mandela, a longtime human rights activist, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, a year before he was elected president of South Africa. Before his presidency he worked to dismantle the apartheid government and spent 27 years in prison under charges of sabotaging the regime.
