During four days of medical tests that have brought only sketchy details about his condition, many South Africans appeared resigned to the fact that the nation's first black president will not be around for ever. "The thing is the man is very old, it's hard to accept he won't make it, but it's his age," said Victor Ncube, a waiter at a busy Johannesburg restaurant.
But the latest report has raised hopes for a prompt release from a Pretoria military hospital. "He is a strong man," said Victor Brown, a manager with an energy and chemical firm Sasol. "We hope for the best and hope he recovers well." While Mandela is said to be doing well, medical experts have warned that for a 94-year-old, any hint of an infection could be serious.
Chest infections are among the most common problems seen in elderly patients but "in people of extreme age (it) is always a potentially concerning factor," said Mark Sonderup, vice chairman of the South African Medical Association. Mandel's hospitalisation means he is suffering from something that is "more than just the simple cough," Sonderup added. The former president who led South Africa to democracy in 1994 has a long history of lung problems. He was previously hospitalised for an acute respiratory infection in January 2011, when he was kept as an inpatient for two nights. He was released in a stable condition for home-based care and intense medical monitoring.