Nelson Mandela Hospitalized, 'Comfortable'

Jacob Zuma visits 94-year-old former president
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 9, 2012 5:59 AM CST
Nelson Mandela Hospitalized, 'Comfortable'
People walk past a mural of Nelson Mandela in the Soweto area of Johannesburg, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012. South Africa’s presidency says that Mandela, 94, was admitted to a hospital Saturday.   (Jon Gambrell)

South Africans prayed today for the health of former President Nelson Mandela and anxiously awaited further word about the anti-apartheid leader after he was admitted to a military hospital. President Jacob Zuma visited Mandela this morning at the hospital in Pretoria and found the frail 94-year-old to be "comfortable and in good care," a spokesman said, offering no other details about Mandela.

The continued uncertainty about Mandela's health saw worshipers gather this morning in Johannesburg to pray for him at Regina Mundi Catholic church, a center of anti-apartheid protests and funerals. "Yes, it really worries us because he is a great person," says a churchgoer. "He did so many things to the country, he's one of those persons who we remember most." Mandela last made a public appearance when his country hosted the 2010 World Cup. A statement from Zuma's office yesterday announced that Mandela had been hospitalized for tests and was receiving medical care "which is consistent for his age." (More Nelson Mandela stories.)

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