Mandela in Critical Condition

Former South African President Nelson Mandela is recently in critical condition, officials said.

Mandela’s condition worsened in the past 24 hours, the South African  president’s office said, citing Mandela’s medical team.
He has been hospitalized in Pretoria since June 8 for a recurring lung  infection. Previously, authorities had described his condition as  serious but stable.

President Jacob Zuma said in a written statement said that the doctors  are doing everything possible to get his condition to improve and are  ensuring that Madiba (Mandela’s tribal name) is well-looked after and  is comfortable. He said that Mandela is in good hands.

Mandela, 94, has become increasingly frail over the years and has not  appeared in public since South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010.

The anti-apartheid hero has been in and out of the hospital in recent years.

His history of lung problems dates to when he was a political prisoner  on Robben Island during the apartheid era, and he has battled  respiratory infections.

Mandela votes for the first time in his life on March 26, 1994.(Image credit: www.cnn.com)

Considered the founding father of South Africa’s democracy, Mandela  became an international figure while enduring 27 years in prison for  fighting against apartheid, the country’s system of racial segregation.

South Africa’s governing African National Congress noted “with  concern” Sunday the change in Mandela’s health.

“The African National Congress joins the presidency in calling upon  all of us to keep President Mandela, his family and his medical team  in our thoughts and prayers during this trying time,” it said.

In 1993, Mandela and then-South African President F.W. de Klerk  jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The iconic leader was elected the nation’s first black president a  year later, serving only one term, as he had promised.

Even as he has faded from the spotlight, he remains popular and is  considered a hero of democracy in the nation. Last year, South Africa  launched a new batch of banknotes with a picture of a smiling Mandela  on the front.

Mandela’s impact extends far beyond South African borders. After he  left office, he mediated conflicts in Africa and the Middle East.

Word of his worsening health drew global expressions of concern.

A U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a  statement that they have seen the latest reports from the South  African government that former President Mandela is in critical  condition. Additionally it said their thoughts and prayers are with  Mandela, his family and the people of South Africa.

Source:  edition.cnn.com