Officials say former South African President Nelson Mandela is in no immediate danger, as he spends his third day in the hospital undergoing medical tests.
The Defense Ministry made the announcement Monday as millions of South Africans awaited word of the revered anti-apartheid leader's condition.
The 94-year-old Mandela was admitted to a Pretoria hospital Saturday for tests that a presidential statement said were "consistent with his age" and were "no cause for alarm."
Earlier Monday, President Jacob Zuma's office said that Mandela "had a good night's rest," and that hospital officials wanted to thank the public for messages supporting the former leader and his family.
![Nelson Mandela smiles for photographers at his home in Johannesburg September 22, 2005.]()
![Nelson Mandela and his then wife, Winnie, salute well-wishers as he leaves Victor Verster prison on Feb. 11, 1990.]()
![This undated photograph shows Nelson Mandela and his former wife, Winnie.]()
![South African State President Frederik Willem de Klerk and Deputy President of the African National Congress Nelson Mandela prior to talks, Cape Town, May 2, 1990.]()
![Nelson Mandela, is seen as he gives the black power salute to 120,000 ANC supporters in Soweto's Soccer City stadium, Feb. 13, 1990.]()
![Then-African National Congress President Nelson Mandela salutes the crowd in Galeshewe Stadium near Kimberley, South Africa, Feb. 25, 1994.]()
![Nelson Mandela and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II ride in a carriage outside Buckingham Palace on the first day of a state visit to Britain, July 9, 1996.]()
![President Nelson Mandela and Britain's Prince Charles shake hands alongside members of the Spice Girls, Nov. 1, 1997.]()
![Former U.S President Bill Clinton and former South African President Nelson Mandela speak during a Gala night in Westminster Hall, London, July 2, 2003.]()
![Oscar winning South African actress Charlize Theron weeps at her meeting with former South African President Nelson Mandela at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton, March 11,2004.]()
![Nelson Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, wave to the audience during a Live 8 concert in Johannesburg, July 2, 2005.]()
![Nelson Mandela jokes with youngsters as they celebrate his 89th birthday at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund in Johannesburg, July 24, 2007.]()
![Former South African president Nelson Mandela, center, followed by his grandson Mandla Mandela, rear right, arrives at the ceremony in Mvezo, South Africa, April 16, 2007.]()
![Nelson Mandela waves to the media as he arrives outside 10 Downing Street, London, August 28, 2007.]()
![Nelson Mandela waves as he arrives to attend the 2010 World Cup football final Netherlands vs. Spain on July 11, 2010 at Soccer City stadium in Soweto.]()
![Nelson Mandela poses for a photograph after receiving a torch to celebrate the African National Congress' centenary in his home village Qunu, May 30, 2012.]()
Mandela has grown frail and has not made a public appearance in several years. In February, he was briefly hospitalized for abdominal pain.
He became South Africa's first black president in 1994. Prior to becoming president, he spent 27 years in prison for his fight against the country's apartheid policies.
The Defense Ministry made the announcement Monday as millions of South Africans awaited word of the revered anti-apartheid leader's condition.
The 94-year-old Mandela was admitted to a Pretoria hospital Saturday for tests that a presidential statement said were "consistent with his age" and were "no cause for alarm."
Earlier Monday, President Jacob Zuma's office said that Mandela "had a good night's rest," and that hospital officials wanted to thank the public for messages supporting the former leader and his family.
Nelson Mandela
Mandela has grown frail and has not made a public appearance in several years. In February, he was briefly hospitalized for abdominal pain.
He became South Africa's first black president in 1994. Prior to becoming president, he spent 27 years in prison for his fight against the country's apartheid policies.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
