Nelson Mandela hospitalised with stomach ailment

25.02.2012

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been hospitalised with a stomach ailment, according to a government statement issued today about the 93-year-old anti-apartheid icon.
President Jacob Zuma asked that Mr Mandela's privacy be respected, and did not say at which hospital Mr Mandela was being treated.
Mr Mac Maharaj, Mr Zuma's spokesman, said he could not elaborate but that he would be issuing regular updates.
Mr Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994 after spending 27 years in prison for his fight against racist apartheid rule, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.