Nelson Mandela is “steadily improving”, South Africa’s government said on Thursday as the former president celebrated his 95th birthday in hospital amid tributes from around the country and the world.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, globally admired as a symbol of struggle against injustice and of racial reconciliation, has been under treatment since June 8 for a recurring lung infection that has led to four hospital stays in the past six months.
“Madiba remains in hospital in Pretoria, but his doctors have confirmed that his health is steadily improving,” President Jacob Zuma’s office said in a statement, using Mandela’s traditional clan name.
