Former South African president Nelson Mandela was discharged from a Pretoria hospital Sunday after undergoing a scheduled checkup.
The anti-apartheid leader was admitted for an overnight stay Saturday, and has returned to his Johannesburg home.
“The doctors have completed the tests. He is well and as before, his health remains under the management of the medical team,” the South African government announced in a statement.
Mandela, 94, spent the majority of December in the hospital receiving treatment for gallstones and a lung infection. Since then, he has been receiving home care in Johannesburg. Mandela has a history of lung problems, having suffered from tuberculosis during his time as a prison on Robben Island.
The health condition of the country’s aging icon has been a matter of public concern. Mandela has made few public appearance since South Africa’s 2010 World Cup.
“Although he’s old, he’s a real father to South Africa,” Johannesburg resident Thembeni Sebego told the Washington Post. “We need him very, very, very much. But what can we do? If God calls him, it’s time, because he’s old now, he’s old.”
Discussing Mandela’s status may be a welcome distraction for South African President Jacob Zuma. Though the country enjoys the continent’s largest and fastest growing economy, it has been beset by social issues, including violence against women and labor conditions. South Africa currently has a higher rate of rape than any other country in the world.
On Friday, nine police officers were charged in the death of taxi driver Mido Macia who was handcuffed to a truck and dragged along the street in broad daylight. Macia later died as a result of his injuries. In another case, the lead investigator of the high-profile Oscar Pistorius murder case was charged with attempted murder in relation to a drunken shooting spree carried out against civilians.
