Conflicting reports that Nelson Mandela may have left hospital
There was confusion on Saturday morning as to whether Nelson Mandela had left hospital, with his daughter reportedly confirming it but the South African presidency denying the news.
By Harriet Alexander
8:28AM BST 31 Aug 2013
Mr Mandela's daughter told Sky News that he had returned to his home in Johannesburg after spending almost three months in hospital in Pretoria.
But Mac Maharaj, spokesman for the South African presidency, said that he was still in the clinic and was critical but responding to treatment.
"The Presidency has noted incorrect media reports that former President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital.
"Madiba is still in hospital in Pretoria, and remains in a critical but stable condition. At times his condition becomes unstable, but he responds to medical interventions ."
The 95-year-old former president of South Africa was admitted to hospital on June 8, suffering from a recurring lung infection.
Last week he was said to be critical yet stable and "showing great resilience."
Early this month, his former wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela told Sky News that he was "now breathing normally" and that doctors had kept draining fluid from his lungs.
Mr Mandela, whose lung infection is thought to stem from his time spent working in the mines as a prisoner on Robben Island, has been in and out of hospital over the past year.
In December he spent nearly three weeks in hospital, where he was treated for the condition and gall stones.
This stint, however, is the longest time he has spent in hospital since he was released from prison in 1990.
