JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela visited with family members yesterday at his hospital bedside, the South African government said, adding that there was no significant change in the condition of the frail anti-apartheid hero.
The 94-year-old former president and Nobel peace laureate has been in hospital since Wednesday being treated for a recurrent bout of pneumonia. “He spent part of Family Day today with some members of his family,” the presidency said. “There is no significant change in his condition” since the previous presidency statement late Sunday said doctors had reported “a further improvement in his condition”. Doctors last week drained excess fluid that had built up on the lining of the anti-apartheid icon’s lungs because of infection.
The procedure, described as the tapping of a pleural effusion, has helped him breathe without difficulty, it said. Mandela’s latest health troubles have led to an outpouring of prayers and good wishes from around the world, including from US President Barack Obama. AFP
