Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the ex-wife of the late Nelson Mandela, was admitted to a South Africa hospital Sunday for a kidney infection, but is expected to make a full recovery.
“Upon admission‚ it was discovered that she had an infection that had affected her kidneys. She is expected to make a full recovery and should spend approximately a week at the hospital‚” Victor Dlamini, a spokesman for the Mandela family, said in a statement released on Tuesday night.
The South African anti-apartheid veteran, 81, complained of a loss of appetite and severe pain in her leg, Dlamini said. She was taken to the Milpark Hospital, a private facility in western Johannesburg, the media reported on Tuesday. It is likely that she will spend a week in the hospital.
“She is constantly surrounded by family and is in high spirits,” Dlamini said. “The family will keep the public informed of any developments.”
Madikizela-Mandela had been in and out of the hospital since 2016 after having back and knee surgery, media reports say.
The activist is known her fight for the rights of Black South Africans during her ex-husband, Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment from 1962 to 1990. She helped to push for the end of White minority rule known as apartheid in the early 1990s.
Just two days before her hospitalization, Madikizela-Mandela was given an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Makerere University in Uganda. The university offered a statement about the prestigious honor awarded to the activist.
“The decision to award Mrs. Mandela an Honorary Doctorate successfully went through all the vetting procedures following her successful nomination. I warmly congratulate Mrs. Winnie Mandela upon this achievement,” a university statement reads.
