Relief as 94-year-old former South African president recovers from latest bout of pneumonia
Mandela’s health has suffered as a result of the time he spent in prison on Robben Island; he contracted TB in the 1980s. Photograph: PA
Millions of South Africans breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday as Nelson Mandela was discharged from hospital after being treated for pneumonia for more than a week.
The 94-year-old's recovery from the latest in a series of health scares, ending in a tense period during which his TV obituary was broadcast by mistake. Some commentators argued that it was time to "let go", and one caller to a radio phone-in predicted that his death would trigger an "Arab spring" in which "all hell will break loose".
As Mandela was taken in a military ambulance to his home Houghton, an upmarket suburb of Johannesburg, his relatives and friends paid tribute to a "tough guy" whose will to live was undimmed.
Mandla Mandela, his eldest grandson and political heir, said his family were "overwhelmed" to have him back home and grateful for the support offered by global well-wishers. He said: "We are not worried about his health. We are enjoying the time we have with him. Every day with him we cherish. Twenty-three years after his release from prison, we never thought we would spend time like this. Every moment is precious."
Mandela's health has suffered as a result of the time he spent in prison – he contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on the windswept Robben Island, where he served 18 years of a 27-year sentence for sabotage, and his lungs are said to have been damaged when he worked in a prison quarry.
Despite his long imprisonment, Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together, winning the Nobel peace prize in 1993. He is still revered at home and abroad for leading the long campaign against apartheid and then championing racial reconciliation while in office between 1994 and 1999.
The 94-year-old's recovery from the latest in a series of health scares, ending in a tense period during which his TV obituary was broadcast by mistake. Some commentators argued that it was time to "let go", and one caller to a radio phone-in predicted that his death would trigger an "Arab spring" in which "all hell will break loose".
As Mandela was taken in a military ambulance to his home Houghton, an upmarket suburb of Johannesburg, his relatives and friends paid tribute to a "tough guy" whose will to live was undimmed.
Mandla Mandela, his eldest grandson and political heir, said his family were "overwhelmed" to have him back home and grateful for the support offered by global well-wishers. He said: "We are not worried about his health. We are enjoying the time we have with him. Every day with him we cherish. Twenty-three years after his release from prison, we never thought we would spend time like this. Every moment is precious."
Mandela's health has suffered as a result of the time he spent in prison – he contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on the windswept Robben Island, where he served 18 years of a 27-year sentence for sabotage, and his lungs are said to have been damaged when he worked in a prison quarry.
Despite his long imprisonment, Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together, winning the Nobel peace prize in 1993. He is still revered at home and abroad for leading the long campaign against apartheid and then championing racial reconciliation while in office between 1994 and 1999.
