JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The health condition of former South African President Nelson Mandela remained "stable but critical," the South African Presidency said on Monday.
"The health of the former President remains much the same as it was when President (Jacob) Zuma last visited him, which is stable but critical while Madiba (Mandela's clan name) continues to respond to treatment," presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said.
The Presidency made the statement after Zuma visited Mandela earlier in the day.
Mandela "continues to recover" at his Johannesburg home, said Maharaj.
"President Zuma conveyed the well wishes of all South Africans and those of the peoples of the world to the Mandela family and assured them that nations are united in their thoughts and prayers for him. In addition, President Zuma expressed the good wishes of the leaders of the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting (CHOGM) from which he returned last night," said Maharaj.
Zuma used the opportunity to personally present Madiba with the Lifetime Award for Global Peace from the Mahathir Global Peace Foundation which he received on his behalf in Malaysia earlier this year, according to Maharaj.
Zuma also informed Madiba that he was looking forward to officially opening the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory Public Facility and the Permanent Exhibition on the Life and Times of Nelson Mandela in Houghton Monday night, said Maharaj.
Mandela was released from hospital in early September following an 85-day stay for a recurring lung infection, the result of his long-time imprisonment during the apartheid times.
At the time of his release, the Presidency announced that his condition remained critical and at times unstable, saying his house in Johannesburg had been configured to enable the doctors to give him intensive care.
Since then, the government had been silent about Mandela's health for more than two months.
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