Good news! Nelson Mandela was discharged from hospital last night, according the Presidency’s Mac Maharaj.

Madiba will now undergo home-based high care at his Houghton home until he recovers fully.

Mandela, 94, spent Christmas Day in hospital, having been flown to Pretoria from his Eastern Cape home at Qunu on 8 December. He was diagnosed with a lung infection and also underwent gallstone surgery.

This was his longest stay in hospital since being freed over two decades ago. Mandela has a history of lung problems having suffered from tuberculosis toward the end of his 27 years spent in prison.

Maharaj thanked the South African public for keeping Madiba in their thoughts over the past couple of weeks:

We thank the public and the media for the good wishes and for affording Madiba and the family the necessary privacy. We request a continuation of the privacy consideration in order to allow for the best possible conditions for full recovery.

President Jacob Zuma said in a statement earlier this week that Mandela was “looking much better” and was in high spirits.

[Source: EWN]