Former South Africa President Nelson Mandela has been taken to hospital. Officials said he was suffering from a “long-standing abdominal complaint” which doctors felt needed “proper specialist medical attention”.
The 93-year-old statesman and anti-apartheid icon has suffered declining health in recent years. South African President Jacob Zuma’s office said the “love and good wishes of all South Africans and people throughout the world” were with him. In a statement, he asked for Mr Mandela and his family to be given privacy.
Mr Mandela retired from public life eight years ago – his last public appearance was at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. The Nobel Peace Prize winner is affectionately known in South Africa as Mandiba.
He spent 27 years in prison for his actions against the apartheid regime before being released in 1990. In 1994, he became South Africa’s first black president, stepping down in 1999 after one term. (BBC)
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