Mandela in Hospital for ‘Routine Medical Checkup,’ ANC Says

Nelson Mandela, 71-year-old deputy president of the African National Congress, has entered a private hospital for “a routine medical checkup” on the eve of lengthy trips to Europe and the United States, the ANC said Monday.

ANC internal leader Walter Sisulu said he thought Mandela may have had a minor prostate operation Monday, but a hospital spokesman would say only that Mandela “is in no danger at all.” He entered the hospital Sunday night and is expected to be discharged today, Sisulu said.

Mandela, the most important black leader in South Africa’s new steps toward black-white negotiations, returned last week from a nine-day, six-country trip through Africa--his third journey abroad since his Feb. 11 release after 27 years in prison. He has addressed three news conferences and two rallies in the past week.

Mandela had previously set aside this week for medical tests and rest, and a source close to the family said Monday night that “he’s not feeling badly at all. He’s just taking a break, and we wanted to make sure he had a thorough checkup.”