Nelson Mandela was admitted to a hospital in Pretoria for a medical check-up, marking the second time the former South African president has been hospitalized in less than three months, according to local government officials.
But a spokesman for President Jacob Zuma said that Mandela is being treated for a pre-existing condition associated with his age and that there is "no need for panic."
More information regarding the health status of the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader was not provided.
This past December, Mandela was hospitalized with a lung infection following surgery to remove gallstones and was the longest hospital stay since his prison release in 1990. Mandela has been receiving treatment at his home in Johannesburg ever since he was released from the hospital Dec. 26.
The first black president of South Africa has a history of lung-related medical issues from when he first contracted tuberculosis as a prisoner.
Mandela spent 27 years as a political prisoner and remains a highly respected public figure in South Africa even though he has not been involved in public life in the past 10 years.
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