Nelson Mandela Death Reports Are False: South African Leader Returns Home from Hospital
Former South African leader Nelson Mandela is finally back at his home following a nearly three-month stay at a Pretoria hospital.
The South African president's office confirmed the news and said that the 95-year-old Mandela -- also known as Madiba, his clan name -- will continue to receive similar treatment at his home in a Johannesburg suburb.
"Madiba's condition remains critical and is at times unstable. Nevertheless, his team of doctors are convinced that he will receive the same level of intensive care at his Houghton home that he received in Pretoria."
The reports about Mandela's health have been conflicting ever since he was admitted to the hospital several months ago. On multiple occasions, there have been false reports of Mandela's death as the revered South African icon clings to his life with intensive care.
Mandela quite literally endured a bumpy ride to the hospital in June. After Mandela's ambulance broke down on the way to the Pretoria, his health deteriorated and South Africans gathered around the hospital to pay tribute to their former president. Newspapers around the world discarded their usual headlines in exchange for health updates on Mandela.
Mandela's lingering health issues stem from his 27 years of hard labor in prison after the white-dominated National Party accused him of sabotage. He was the underground leader of the now-ruling ANC party and became an international household name as he traveled the world campaigning for peace and social justice.
Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and served until 1999. Except for a few brief appearances, Mandela has been retired from public life for the last decade or so.
Former American president Bill Clinton, who was a close friend of Mandela's, visited South Africa in August and met with Mandela's family. Mandela attended Clinton's inauguration in 1993.