Nelson Mandela, the first president of a democratic, multiracial South Africa, was hospitalized on Saturday to address a longstanding abdominal complaint, the office of South Africa’s current president, Jacob Zuma, announced.
“Madiba has had a long-standing abdominal complaint and doctors feel it needs proper specialist medical attention,” the statement said, using Mr. Mandela’s honorific clan name.
Mr. Mandela, who battled apartheid and spent 27 years imprisoned by the white minority government, is 93 years old, and has been in virtual seclusion for the last several years. His health is closely watched; a hospitalization in January 2011 set off a panic across South Africa.
For years, rumors have swirled about Mr. Mandela’s health. His public appearances have become less and less frequent. He last appeared in July 2010 at the closing ceremony of the World Cup soccer tournament.
Mr. Mandela was released from prison at age 71 in 1990 as South Africa’s policy of white supremacy was imploding; he was elected four years later as the first president of a reforming nation.
Source New York Times
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