Relief swept South Africa on Friday as former president Nelson Mandela was back home with his family after spending nearly three days in hospital for an acute respiratory infection, dpa reported. "He received treatment and has responded very well. He is stable but will be monitored closely", Surgeon General of the South African National Defence Force, Lieutenant General Vejaynand Ramlakan, told the media after a 44-hour news vacuum. "At present Dr Mandela is in high spirits. Medically, at the present time, there is no need to panic," Ramlakan said. "He is stable, but subject to intense monitoring. For a 92-year- old he surprises us a on a daily basis with his coping," he added. Madiba, the clan name Mandela is fondly referred to by South Africans, was admitted to Johannesburg's Milpark Hospital on Wednesday afternoon. Rumour and speculation ran rife during the two-day news blackout, while concerned people around the globe, including US President Barack Obama, sent good wishes. The anti-apartheid freedom fighter was secretly whisked back to his home in the leafy Houghton suburb while Friday's media briefing was taking place. "He will receive home-based care," his grandson Mandla Mandela told a room packed to capacity with journalists at the hospital, adding that the older his grandfather got, the wittier he was. "Madiba is well", said acting president Kgalema Motlanthe. "There is no need for us to panic. There is no need for us to fear for his health." "From now on we will keep you posted," Motlanthe said, adding that the situation could have "been handled differently". Relatives, including his ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, and high-ranking government and military officials streamed to the hospital on Thursday, fuelling the media frenzy. -- SPA
