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Sunday 9 June 2013

Nelson Mandela, 94, rushed to hospital in a 'serious' condition with lung infection

Health issues: The former South African president, seen in April as he recovered from a previous spell in hospital, is being treated for the recurrence of a lung infectionHealth issues: The former South African president was last photographed on April 29 (above) recuperating at home after being hospitalised with pneumonia
Former South African president Nelson Mandela was rushed to hospital in a 'serious' condition today following a recurrence of the lung infection that has plagued him in recent months.
The 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader, whose health has been failing in recent years, has been hospitalised three times since December.
Mandela was said to be in 'good spirits' but the situation was 'serious this time', a government spokesman told a South African news channel today.
Ailing: President Jacob Zuma places a hand on Mandela's, whose head was supported by a pillow and knees covered by a blanket following his release from hospital in April
Ailing: President Jacob Zuma places a hand on Mandela's following the 94-year-old's release from his latest hospital stay in April
'The situation is serious this time but doctors have assured us he is comfortable,' presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj told television station eNCA.
Mr Maharaj said members of Mandela's family had accompanied him to the hospital in Pretoria and remained at his bedside. 
His wife, Graca Machel, cancelled a scheduled appearance at a hunger summit in London today to remain at her husband's side.
Frail: Mandela is seen in April with President Jacob Zuma, who today wished the 94-year-old a speedy recovery
Frail: Mandela is seen in April with President Jacob Zuma, who today wished the 94-year-old a speedy recovery
'Conscious': Mandela is believed to have been admitted to the private Mediclinic hospital in Pretoria, in South Africa's Gauteng Province
'Conscious': Mandela is believed to have been admitted to the private Mediclinic hospital in Pretoria, in South Africa's Gauteng Province
Fears: Members of the press were gathering today outside the Pretoria hospital where the former leader is believed to have been taken in the early hours of this morning
Fears: Members of the press were gathering today outside the Pretoria hospital where the former leader is believed to have been taken in the early hours of this morning
Health fears: An ambulance was seen leaving the Mediclinic Hospital in Pretoria today accompanied by presidential security - it was not clear who was inside and Mandela is understood to be still in hospital
Prayers: An ambulance was seen leaving the Mediclinic Hospital in Pretoria today accompanied by presidential security - it was not clear who was inside and Mandela is understood to be still in hospital
The wording of the government statement, in particular the use of the word 'serious', is clear cause for concern to South Africa's 53 million people, for whom Mandela remains a potent symbol of the struggle against decades of white-minority rule.
'Fighter': Nelson Mandela and his wife Graca Machel smile for the camera at their home in Qunu, South Africa, in August 2012 during an increasingly rare public appearance
'Fighter': Nelson Mandela and his wife Graca Machel smile for the camera at their home in Qunu, South Africa, in August 2012 during an increasingly rare public appearance
Mandela has been vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27 years behind bars under apartheid.
Doctors treat the matter with great caution, Mr Maharaj told the BBC, and Mandela is admitted to hospital 'as necessary' to give him the best opportunity to recover.
'He has been in good spirits. He is a fighter and he will be with us as long as he is there fighting,' Mr Maharaj added.
He told Sky News the former leader was conscious, 'able to breathe on his own', and 'communicating' with relatives at his bedside.
An earlier statement from the office of President Jacob Zuma said: 'During the past few days, former President Nelson Mandela has had a recurrence of a lung infection.
'This morning at about 1.30am, his condition deteriorated and he was transferred to a Pretoria hospital.'
The statement said Mandela remains in a 'serious but stable' condition.
It said Mandela, who will celebrate his 95th birthday next month, was receiving expert medical care and 'doctors are doing everything possible to make him better and comfortable'.
Zuma wished Mandela a quick recovery on behalf of the government and the nation and called for the former leader's privacy to be respected.
Using the former president's Xhosa clan name, the statement said: 'President Jacob Zuma, on behalf of government and the nation, wishes Madiba a speedy recovery.'
In Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron was among the first to send get well wishes to the former South African president, tweeting: 'My thoughts are with Nelson Mandela, who is in hospital in South Africa.'
'Beloved statesman': Hilary Clinton, then U.S. Secretary of State, is seen meeting with Mandela at his South African home in August 2012
'Beloved statesman': Hilary Clinton, then U.S. Secretary of State, is seen meeting with Mandela at his South African home in August 2012
VIDEO: Government tells South African television Mandela's condition 'serious'
VIDEO: South Africans send their messages of support to ill former leader
The African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party that has dominated politics in South Africa since the end of apartheid, urged people across the world to keep 'our beloved statesman' in their prayers.
'We will keep President Mandela and his family in our thoughts and prayers at this time and call upon South Africans and the peoples of the globe to do the same for our beloved statesman and icon, Madiba,' the party said in a statement.
A spokesman for the party told Sky News the nation was 'prepared for the worst'.
'Madiba is the personification of humanity, friendship, honesty, integrity,' Jackson Mthembu told the brodadcaster.
'Without the calibre of Madiba's leadership, the likelihood is that South Africa would have gone to ruins ... but there was a Madiba.'
More messages of support for the former leader were flooding in from other political groups and unions today.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) sent a message of goodwill to Mandela, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported.
'Tata': Mandela, seen left at his Qunu home in May 2012, and right at an ANC rally ahead of the presidential elections in 2009, has struggled with respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis while in jail
'Our 2.2 million members, thousands of working people, millions of South Africans and countless more freedom-loving people around the world are thinking of you today and wishing that you make a full recovery and soon return home,' it said in a statement.
The South African Communist Party wished Mandela a 'speedy recovery' and told the former president: 'You are in our thoughts'.
The Young Communist League (YCL) added: 'Tata is in our thoughts and we hope he will recover as soon as possible.'
Many South Africans use the term of endearment Tata - the Xhosa word for father - to refer to the ageing political icon.
Mandela's wife was due to address the Nutrition for Growth meeting in London this afternoon.
But Ms Machel's name was removed from the provisional list of speakers this morning with organisers saying she had to cancel 'for personal reasons'.
International figure: David Cameron, seen with Nelson Mandela during his visit to London in 2008, said today his thoughts were with South Africa's former leader
International figure: David Cameron, seen with Nelson Mandela during his visit to London in 2008, said today his thoughts were with South Africa's former leader

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