Mandela spends another night in hospital
2012-12-10 22:17
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Journalists gathered outside Nelson Mandela's hospital as the 94-year-old icon undergoes testing during his third day at the facility. Watch.
Cape Town - Graça Machel has spoken in the past about how painful it is for her to see her husband Nelson Mandela's health deteriorate.
Speaking in a 2009 interview with eNCA, Machel said it's painful to see him grow old - one understands that it must happen but it's heartbreaking to see his spirit and sparkle fading.
The former president spent another night in hospital on Monday after the presidency said earlier that he would undergo further tests.
Early in the afternoon presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj said that Mandela "had a good night's rest, and insisted that "he is in good hands".
'Doing very, very well'
Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula had also briefed media prior to the presidency's statement, telling reporters outside 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria, where she had just visited Mandela, that the ex-president was "doing very, very well".
There have been no further updates from the government since the presidency's statement.
The 94-year-old Mandela, was admitted to a hospital on Saturday for "medical attention".
At the time, Maharaj said that, as had been said before, Mandela would "receive medical attention from time to time which is consistent with his age".
On Sunday morning, President Jacob Zuma visited Mandela in hospital and found him "comfortable, and in good care", Maharaj said.
He said the presidency thanked the public for their messages of support to Mandela and his family.
"We thank the media and the public for affording him, his family and the medical team the necessary privacy and space."
He said Monday was a special day for Mandela. He received the Nobel Peace Prize on 10 December 1993.
- An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that
Machel was interviewed on Monday. The eNCA interview was conducted in 2009 and
was re-broadcast on Monday. News24 apologises for this error.
