Thabo Mbeki, who succeeded Mandela as president in 1999, made the comment Thursday night in an interview with Power FM, a South African radio station.
Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who spent 27 years in prison during white racist rule, was taken to a hospital on June 8 to be treated for a recurring lung infection. The government had described his condition as serious but stable, and later said the 94-year-old Mandela was improving.
Mbeki, who served two 5-year terms as president, says he has stayed in close contact with Mandela’s family and doctors.
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