Pretoria - Former President Nelson Mandela is in “capable hands” in a Pretoria hospital where he is undergoing tests, the ANC said on Sunday.
“We believe he is in capable and competent hands,” spokesman Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
On Saturday afternoon, Mandela, 94, was admitted to a Pretoria hospital for a scheduled check-up. He spent the night there.
“We want to reiterate the message of President (Jacob) Zuma that this is a routine check-up and therefore should not raise alarm.”
The African National Congress wished Mandela well and urged the media to respect his privacy and that of his family.
Earlier, presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj said the public would receive updates on Mandela's condition once his doctors had provided feedback.
“I'm not bothering them (the doctors). They will contact me when they are ready.
“Doctors are conducting tests and have thus far indicated that there is no reason for any alarm,” Maharaj said.
He said the check-up was to manage existing conditions that came at his age.
In December Mandela underwent an operation to remove gallstones and to treat a recurring lung infection. He was discharged after an 18-day stay and placed under home-based high care at his Houghton, Johannesburg, residence.
In January, the presidency said Mandela had made a full recovery from the surgery and continued to improve.
South Africa's first black president has a long history of lung problems, dating back to the time when he was a political prisoner on Robben Island during apartheid.
While in jail he contracted tuberculosis. - Sapa