Mandela is recovering well.
Former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela is recovering well from a lung infection that kept him in critical condition in hospital for a week, his grandson Mandla Mandela said on Saturday.
QUNU, South Africa, 15 Jun (Reuters) - Former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela is recovering well from a lung infection that kept him in critical condition in hospital for a week, his grandson Mandla Mandela said on Saturday.
The comment was the latest indication that the health of his 94-year-old grandfather, South Africa's first black president, was showing signs of improvement. Mandela has been receiving visits from family members after being taken to the hospital a week ago with recurring lung problems.
"Madiba is recovering very well and seems to be doing well," said his grandson in Qunu, the village in the Eastern Cape province where Mandela was born and spent his early years.
Speaking in Xhosa at the funeral of another relative, Mandla used the clan name 'Madiba' by which Mandela is popularly known.
"I thank the nation and the world for their prayers for Madiba, and the doctors and the ANC office that are keeping the family informed of the news," he said.
The South African government reported on Thursday that Mandela was continuing to recover, but that his condition remained serious.
Mandela's hospitalization was his fourth since December. Mandela has a history of lung problems since his imprisonment on Robben Island, near Cape Town. He was released in 1990 after 27 years behind bars and served as president between 1994 and 1999.