Nelson Mandela, 94 years old, has been released from the hospital in South Africa. He was treated there since March 27 for pneumonia. According to a statement issued by the government, Mandela’s health has shown “a sustained and gradual improvement in his condition.” He will reportedly now receive treatment from home.
It is believed the poor condition of Mandela’s lungs are a result of conditions during his imprisonment, BBC News reports:
“Mr Mandela contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on the windswept Robben Island, where he served 18 years of a 27-year sentence for sabotage.
His lungs are said to have been damaged when he worked in a prison quarry.”
Mandela, served 27 years in prison because of his fight against the injustice apartheid, a tool which an all-white National Party used to systemically oppress the black majority. Following his release in 1990, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected the first black president in 1994 where he served for five years. In 2004, Mandela retired from public life.
For more information read the BBC News story on the release of Nelson Mandela.
