Nelson Mandela in hospital for scheduled tests, presidency says South Africa's presidency says Nelson Mandela was admitted to a hospital for a scheduled medical check-up. Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said in a statement that 94-year-old Mandela went to a hospital in Pretoria, the capital, on Saturday afternoon. Maharaj says doctors are conducting tests and have indicated so far that there is "no reason for any alarm." Mandela, a leader of the fight against apartheid and a former president, was hospitalized for nearly three weeks in December before going home on Dec. 26. At that time, he was treated for a lung infection and had a surgical procedure to remove gallstones.