Nelson Mandela’s daughter Zindzi Mandela says the former South African president is making dramatic progress and could be headed home soon.
“I visited him yesterday and he was watching television with headphones,” she told Britain’s Sky TV. “He gave us a huge smile and raised his hand…He responds with his eyes and his hands.”
Zindzi says her father is gaining energy and that he may be released from the hospital in the near future.
“I should think he will be going home anytime soon,” she said.
Mandela’s second daughter isn’t the first to predict that he will be discharged soon. Former South African president Thabo Mbeki shared the same sentiment in a speech he gave last weekend. Mandela has spent over a month in a Pretoria hospital after suffering a recurring lung infection. The anti-apartheid leader is currently in a critical but stable condition.
News of Mandela’s improved state falls on the eve of his 95th Birthday.