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'No Significant' Change in Mandela's Condition


A statue of Former South African president Nelson Mandela at the entrance to the Robben Island ferry departure point at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. (File)
A statue of Former South African president Nelson Mandela at the entrance to the Robben Island ferry departure point at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. (File)
The South African government says there has been "no significant change" in the condition of former President Nelson Mandela, who remains hospitalized with pneumonia.

That latest medical assessment was provided Monday, Mandela's fifth full day in the hospital. On Sunday, doctors had reported an improvement in the former president's condition.

South Africa's presidential spokesman, Mac Maharaj, says the 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon spent Monday with family members.

"He spent part of the day with some members of his family -- today being Family Day -- and those members appreciate the support they have been receiving from the public," he said.

Doctors say they have drained excess fluid from Mr. Mandela's lungs to help him breathe easier.

The 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon was able to spend some time with family members at his hospital bedside Monday.

Churches across South Africa held Easter Sunday prayers for the former president's recovery from his third hospitalization in four months.

Mandela has been vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment for fighting apartheid, South Africa's white racist rule. He became South Africa's first black president in 1994.


Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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