Madiba discharged from hospital

Former president Nelson Mandela was discharged from the Milpark hospital in Johannesburg on Friday, his grandson said.

"My grandfather has been discharged and we as a family will make the necessary arrangements for him to go back to his home in Houghton," Mandla Mandela told a media briefing at Milpark Hospital.


There was no "anxiety" among the family over the international icon's health, he said.


"We have always given support to him as a family.


"We have always enjoyed his sense of humour.... He continues to display that sense of humour."


Mandela is "well", said Acting President Kgalema Motlanthe.


"Madiba is well... and that should reassure all of us. There is no need to panic... to fear for his health," Motlanthe said.


The former president was admitted to hospital on Wednesday.


Mandela recently developed an acute respiratory infection, said SA National Defence Force Surgeon-General Lieutenant-General Vejaynand Ramlakan.


"He received treatment and has responded very well.... He is stable, but will be monitored closely."


Motlanthe said Mandela was receiving the best treatment from health professionals.


"From now on we will keep you posted," he said, adding that the situation could have "been handled differently".


He was referring to the news blackout on Mandela's condition.


"Nelson Mandela is not only a South African icon, [but] an icon of the entire world."


Motlanthe said he had visited Mandela prior to the briefing.


"When I walked in, his exact words [were] he was very happy to see me," he said, adding that Mandela urged him to attend the conference.


"He said: 'Look, I will not detain you any longer'.... He's in good spirits, teasing [his wife Graca Machel]," Motlanthe said.


He thanked South Africans for their prayers and well wishes.


"The Mandela family, together with government and the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Madiba himself, would like to convey appreciation to all South Africans... and people across the world who have sent words and support... for Madiba's speedy recovery and their prayers."


Mandela's aide Zelda la Grange attended the conference in a cramped boardroom, packed with reporters.