Pik Botha may be discharged soon

2011-09-01 16:48

Pretoria - Apartheid-era foreign affairs minister Pik Botha may be discharged from Netcare Akasia Hospital in Pretoria over the weekend, the hospital said on Thursday.

"What I can say is that, in consultation with his wife, he might be released from hospital over the weekend," said general manager Priscilla Botha.

"I cannot divulge his condition because of patient confidentiality, but I can confirm that Mr Botha is still in hospital."

The 79-year-old former politician was admitted on Wednesday morning after he struggled to breathe while on holiday with his wife Ina.

Lungs

Ina Botha told SABC radio on Wednesday that his heart failed because of the condition of his lungs.

"The lungs are a problem because decades of smoking didn't do him any good. The situation in his lungs can't be reversed," she said.

"As far as the heart is concerned, after his discharge, we will consult with a cardiologist and then take it from there."

Doctors reportedly advised him to quit smoking or face further cardiac problems.

Botha served as foreign affairs minister in the last years of the apartheid government and served as minister of mineral and energy affairs under Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first democratically elected president.

He retired from politics in 1996 when the National Party withdrew from the government of national unity.

In 2000, he announced that he would join the African National Congress.

- SAPA