S. Africa's ex-president Nelson Mandela discharged from hospital

JOHANNESBURG (REUTERS) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital after routine tests and is doing well, the government said on Sunday.

"The doctors have completed the tests. He is well and as before, his health remains under the management of the medical team," it said in a statement.

Mr Mandela, 94, had spent a night in a hospital after he was admitted for scheduled tests, the presidency said Sunday.

The African National Congress, South Africa's ruling party, said it wanted to emphasize that the check-up is "routine" and appealed to the media to respect the privacy of Mandela and his family.

"We believe he is in capable and competent hands," the party said in a statement.

Mr Mandela was hospitalized for nearly three weeks in December before going home on Dec. 26. At that time, he was treated for a lung infection and had a surgical procedure to remove gallstones.

Under South Africa's white-minority apartheid regime, Mr Mandela spent 27 years in prison before he was released in 1990. He became the nation's first democratically elected president in 1994 under the banner of the African National Congress. He served one five-year term before retiring.

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