Former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa was readmitted to the hospital overnight because of a recurring lung infection, President Jacob Zuma said in a statement on Thursday, appealing to people around the world to pray for Mr. Mandela.
It was the third time in four months that Mr. Mandela, 94, South
Africa’s first black president and former leader of the dominant African
National Congress, had been hospitalized. He was admitted shortly
before midnight on Wednesday, the statement said, but the authorities
delayed the announcement for several hours. The episode rekindled
worries about his frailty.
Mr. Mandela spent 19 days in December hospitalized for a lung infection
and what government officials described as the surgical removal of
gallstones. He was readmitted earlier this month for what was termed a
scheduled checkup.
