Former South African President Nelson Mandela successfully underwent hernia surgery yesterday, a family member told CNN yesterday.
Mandela was “comfortable” and in “a satisfactory condition” Saturday, said the? current South African president Jacob Zuma, who referred to the medical event only as “a planned procedure”.
The 93-year-old, likely will be discharged tomorrow, a Mandela relative told CNN.
Considered the founding father of South Africa's democracy, Mandela became an international figure when he endured 27 years in prison for fighting racial segregation in the apartheid enclave.
He was freed in 1990, and three years later, he and then-South African President F.W. de Klerk won the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1994, Mandela was elected president, serving one term as he promised.
Yesterday, President Jacob Zuma said Mandela was being treated for a “longstanding abdominal complaint.” The president referred to Mandela by his affectionate clan name Madiba.
“Madiba is fine and fully conscious and the doctors are satisfied with his condition, which they say is consistent with his age,” Zuma said in a statement yesterday afternoon.
“He was in good health before admission in hospital but doctors felt the complaint needed a thorough investigation.
He underwent a diagnostic procedure as part of his ongoing medical management. We are happy that he is not in any danger and thank the doctors for their hard work and professionalism,” Zuma said.
A government official assured the public that Mandela's hospital stay was not an emergency.