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Subscribe to RSSNelson Mandela, an icon of peace from South Africa, was hospitalized for routine procedures on Saturday. NBC's Lester Holt has more.
JOHANNESBURG -- Former South African president Nelson Mandela was admitted to hospital on Saturday for medical tests, although the government said there was no cause for alarm.
A statement from President Jacob Zuma's office gave no details of the condition of the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader.
"Former President Mandela will receive medical attention from time to time which is consistent with his age," the statement said.
"President Zuma assures all that Madiba is doing well and there is no cause for alarm," it added, referring to Mandela by his clan name.
From prisoner to liberator, Nelson Mandela's fight for equality in South Africa serves as a shining example of justice and peace. Here's a look at the pivotal moments in the life of South Africa's first black president.
Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president after the country's first all-race elections in 1994, was admitted to hospital in February because of abdominal pain but released the following day after a keyhole examination showed there was nothing seriously wrong with him.
He has since spent most of his time in his ancestral home in Qunu, a village in the impoverished Eastern Cape province.
His frail health prevents him from making any public appearances in South Africa, although in the last few months he has continued to receive high-profile visitors, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
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Hell, they can test all they want but the result is going to come back "OLD".
Yeah, I like the line about "tests consistent with his age."
"Heart beating? Check. Breathing? Check."
I certainly wish him well. :)
Uh-oh. . . maybe Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney will move to Italy to help him!
Clyde they have enough to worry about with the politicians that we have in office right now like Obama,Reid and Pelosi.Those not in office cannot do anything for or against them but those in office can.
Nelson, please get well soon.
He is a great man. People like Mandela are few and far between. I wish him well. There aren't that many Ghandhis, Mother Teresas, or Mandelas around. We need more of them. God bless him.
You should do a little more research about Mother Teresa. 'Nuf said.
They are all human beings..They all made mistakes and had failures. The difference between them and most people is that they stepped out of the crowd. All those names will be remembered... Will yours? 'Nuf said....
If the people I love remember me, that will be ok with me. If the children I help everyday continue to speak to me and smile everytime they see me, that will be enough for me. If my children are better for me being there for them that will be enough for me. Millions of kindnesses are never known, and fame is not something I relish. What about you? Nuf said.....
dl, Meg's reply was meant for EarlyOut. You see how she added "Nuf said" to the end? Yea, that meant she was dissing EarlyOut, not you.
Be good kids...
Thanks for the clarification, Baldman.
Obama is another great leader the world respects.
Takenaka, he has potential. His second term will decide how he will go down in history.
You guys beat me to the jokes.
Testing for a pulse!
94 years old. Bless his heart!
This is news - why?
Ship: That you need to ask suggests to me that no explanation will help you, but... Mandela is one of the greatest people who have ever lived. People may have heard he was in hospital and this is a brief explanation as to why, as millions of people worldwide will have concern about his health. We all do understand, of course, that he is quite elderly and no one lives forever, but I for one hope he gets lots more days of freedom after a brutal government robbed him of so many such days.
Live long and prosper, Mr. President. May you grace humanity by becoming a centenarian!
The books of Mandela are an astonishing read, especially "Long Walk to Freedom".
The jokes about being old are somewhere between tacky and redundant. We are all aging and we will all need tests one day. If you could invite famous people to your home when you are 94, then you can joke.
Nelson Mandela is unquestionably one of the most important people to enter this world. He ranks with Ghandi and King, believers in the capacity of human beings to love one another regardless of their skin color, condition, or religion.
Namaste' Nelson.
Well said.... I spent some time in S.Africa last April...Mr. Mandela devoted his life and sacrificed his youth to achieve the changes I experienced. Perfect? No. Courageous and devoted? Yes, Yes and YES!!
I agree , Mandela is one of a very few people I'd love to meet .
Who cares?!
Mandela's nothing but a f*****g communist and the only good communist is a dead communist.
Mephisto... If you don't care, go somewhere else. Or better yet, blow it out your arse, you ignoramous.
Mephisto,
You are ignorant. Go away, and take your mean mouth with you.
Mephisto, You are on the long list of people we don't need while Mandela is on the very short list of people we really need.
INDEED...
since 1995 many thousands of white's have been raped and murdered, but the news media
suppresses that information. Mandela is no hero.
So have many blacks.
if any blacks have been raped and murdered since '95 it would have been by other blacks.
thousands of white farmers and their families have been murdered and tortured to death
by blacks since '95. at least 400,000 white people have left South Africa since 1995
because it has become to dangerous to live there for them, but you won't read that in
the news because it is suppressed information. all white have to leave South Africa before
they will be reduced to slavery if they decide to stay.
I dislike the caption calling Mandela a revolutionary. The term implies violence and Mandela never used or advocated violence. He employed many of the same techniques Ghandi employed, including peaceful resistance. He is a beacon of enlightenment in an era of ignorance and bigotry. God bless him. May he live and thrive for many years to come.
wasn't violent? lol
he used the South African Communist Party to help the ANC mount an armed resistance.
can't wait for the day to party over his grave
If he is looking for sympathy he can look in the dictionary between "@!$%#" and "syphyllis".
Remember Pretoria and Cape Town old man!
I have a lot of respect for this man, hope he comes out ok thou old he is and with old age comes aches and pains. He made SA the rainbow nation it is and he advocated peaceful means.
Sure he did! sarc/
He was behind the ANC bombings in Pretoria and Cape Town! He was caught and imprisoned as a terrorist! Check out the other leaders of the ANC: Mugabe, Banda, N'Komo, Amin...
You want an African leader? Look up the leader of the Zulu nation! I will be back with the correct spelling of his name.
Buthelezi formed the Ikatha Party. He and then President Schwarz came to a deal that would rid SA of apartheid. However he pulled away from the ANC because of their miliateristic approach to emancipation of the SA!
Mandela is a terrorist!
hopefully he'll die there and we can be rid of him.
whats he done to you for such a hatred?
Terrorism, pal, terrorism! Him and Desmond Tutu! They have both caused the demise of wonderful people, the Zulu and the Xhosa, the Sisuto and all other indigeonos Africans!
I love these people. So friendly, just so hospitible, just so humbling! I love them all!
By the way I am a white South African!
Whether the haters like it or not, the reality is that only a few can rival Mandela's accomplishments. The world is better off with the likes of Mandela.
Whether the haters like it or not, the reality is that only a few in history can rival Mandela's accomplishments. The world is better off with the likes of Mandela.
Mr. Mandela is being treated for a recurring lung infection. At his age, it is unlikely his body will be robust enough to fight off much of an infection by itself. I wish Mr. Mandela well and hope he does recover. I am, however, a realist and have lost relatives that age to infections they just could not overcome.
What a great man. Best wishes on a speedy recovery.
Bull feathers! He was a terrorist, a member of the ANC who bombed Pretoria and Cape Town! The man who deserved to take over and lead SA was Buthelezi!
By the way, freedom4everyone, have you ever lived/visited South Africa? I was born and raised there. So unless you have some attachment to the country...shut your trap!