MIRINDIMO

South Africa's anti-apartheid hero and former president Nelson Mandela has been discharged from a hospital in Johannesburg, where he spent two nights under intensive care. Mandela flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg on Wednesday for a medical check-up. The 92-year-old Mandela's hospital stay had stirred rumors of his death. Doctors say Mandela is fine and in good health after receiving treatment for a respiratory infection. "Medically, at present, there is no need to panic," South African military Surgeon General Vejaynand Ramlakan said. To us he is stable, but will be subject to intense monitoring,"

Mandela received thousands of messages from well-wishers while he was hospitalized.
The former president is to be under intense medical monitoring in the future, but at present, he is stable and in good spirits, the state-run BBC quoted Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe as saying on Friday. Mandela suffers from chronic respiratory conditions, probably due to the fact that he contracted tuberculosis in prison years ago. Mandela flew to Johannesburg for his regular medical visit at Milpark hospital, but had to be admitted when doctors suspected that he needed extra intensive medical care at the hospital,
where his friends and family visited him on Thursday amid tight security measures.
Mandela served as president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election.
In 1962, he was arrested and sentenced to life in prison, where he served over 27 years. He spent many of those years on Robben Island. Following his release from prison on February 11, 1990, Mandela led the African National Congress party in the negotiations that led to multi-racial democracy in 1994. As president, he frequently gave priority to reconciliation. In South Africa, Mandela is often known as Madiba, his clan name, or as tata, which means father.
Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.