Johannesburg - Nelson Mandela has left hospital after a 10-day stay during which the former president was treated for pneumonia and will now receive “high care” at home, the government said.
His release was decided “following a sustained and gradual improvement in his general condition”, Presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj said in a statement on Saturday.
An ambulance and black security vehicle arrived at the Johannesburg home of the frail 94-year-old, where the government said the former president will continue to receive “high care”.
Mandela was rushed to an undisclosed hospital on March 27, suffering from a recurrence of a lung infection.
Doctors, who later said the infection was pneumonia, drained a build-up of fluid, known as a pleural effusion or “water on the lungs”, that had developed.
Mandela’s discharge from hospital brought relief to millions of South Africans who regard him as the father of democracy in their country.
President Jacob Zuma on Saturday extended his gratitude to his compatriots, the hospital staff and people around the world for their support.
“President Zuma thanks the hard-working medical team and hospital staff for looking after Madiba so efficiently,” a Presidency statement said, using Mandela's clan name.
It was the third time in five months that Mandela has been hospitalised.
Last month, he was admitted for a night for a scheduled check-up and in December he was hospitalised for 18 days for a lung infection and gallstones surgery.
That stint was his longest since he walked free from 27 years in prison in 1990.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner has had longstanding lung problems.
In 1988, while serving a prison term for his anti-apartheid actions, Mandela was admitted to hospital in Stellenbosch with a bad cough and weakness and having complained of dampness in his cell.
He was diagnosed with early stage tuberculosis.
Since then, amid repeated health scares, South Africans have come to accept their ageing icon's mortality. - AFP