Nelson Mandela, the beloved former president of South Africa, has been admitted to hospital after suffering a recurrence of a lung infection.
South Africa’s presidency said Mr Mandela, who turned 94 last July, was admitted just before midnight but gave no other details about his condition.
“We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba (Mandela’s clan name) and his family and to keep them in their thoughts,” President Jacob Zuma said. “We have full confidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything possible to ensure recovery.”
Mr Mandela, who suffered from tuberculosis in 1988 during the 27 years he spent in prison under the apartheid regime, spent nearly three weeks in hospital in December after being treated for a lung infection and gallstones. He also spent a night in hospital earlier this month for what was described as a check-up. He has been frail for years and is rarely seen in public.
Mr Mandela is revered globally after he made the transition from freedom fighter to South Africa’s first black president and led his nation’s dramatic transformation from apartheid to democracy.
After his release from prison in February 1990, Mr Mandela steered the African National Congress, the liberation movement, to an overwhelming victory in the first democratic election in 1994. The Nobel peace prize winner spent the next five years focusing much of his efforts on reconciling his divided nation, reassuring whites and blacks, and helping South Africa avoid the bloodshed many had predicted.
He stepped down in 1999 after serving one term – a rare act among Africa’s long list of liberation leaders who took over their countries – and was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki.
Mr Mandela officially retired from public life in 2004. He has not been involved in day-to-day politics for years.