Zuma says Mandela ‘comfortable’, talking football

Former South African president, Nelson Mandela. AP FILE PHOTO

JOHANNESBURG – South African President Jacob Zuma paid Nelson Mandela a visit Sunday and found the anti-apartheid icon “comfortable and relaxed” and watching television, the presidency said.

Mandela, 94, was at home in Johannesburg, where he has been recuperating after an 18-day hospital stint in December for a lung infection and gallstone surgery.

Zuma dropped in on him on his way to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) football final, his office said in a statement.

“He had the brightest smile, and it was exciting to discuss with him the upcoming State of the Nation address and the AFCON tournament,” Zuma said in the statement.

South Africa’s first black president from 1994 to 1999, Mandela had spent 27 years behind bars under the apartheid regime.

He was last seen in public in 2010 at the closing ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg.

Nigeria ended a 19-year Africa Cup of Nations title drought Sunday with a 1-0 final victory over Burkina Faso at Soccer City in Soweto township outside Johannesburg.