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Mandela well, treated for respiratory infection

Former South African President Nelson Mandela is well and can be discharged from hospital after being treated for a respiratory infection, officials said on Friday.
/ Source: Reuters

Former South African President Nelson Mandela is well and can be discharged from hospital after being treated for a respiratory infection, officials said on Friday.

Mandela, 92, was admitted to hospital on Wednesday, prompting fears for the anti-apartheid icon who led South Africa as its first black president and is revered at home and abroad as a symbol of reconciliation and hope.

"Madiba is well," Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said, referring to Mandela's clan name. He added there was no need to panic and Mandela was receiving excellent treatment.

South Africa's surgeon-general told the same news conference Mandela would be discharged after treatment for an acute respiratory infection.

"He is fine. He's O.K. He is in good spirits. He was joking with us and teasing Graca," said Motlanthe, referring to Mandela's wife, Graca Machel.

Mandela was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the 1980s while he was jailed and later had an operation to repair damage to his eyes. In 2001 he had treatment for prostate cancer. He was released from prison in 1990 after 27 years imprisonment.

President Jacob Zuma and the ruling African National Congress appealed for calm after the hospitalization set off speculation in local media about Mandela's health and brought family members and dignitaries rushing to the hospital.