Former South Africa President Nelson Mandela has been taken to hospital.
Officials said he was suffering from a “long-standing abdominal complaint” which doctors felt needed “proper specialist medical attention”.
A spokesman for current President Jacob Zuma said the former leader, affectionately known as Madiba, was “in good spirits and well”.
The 93-year-old statesman and anti-apartheid icon has suffered declining health in recent years.
Mr Zuma’s office said the “love and good wishes of all South Africans and people throughout the world” were with him.
In a statement, Mr Zuma asked for Mr Mandela and his family to be given privacy.
