South Africa's president says that Nelson Mandela has recovered from his recent lung infection and surgical procedure to remove gallstones.

South African president Jacob Zuma issued a statement today announcing that doctors say that Mr Mandela, 94, has made "steady progress and that clinically, he continues to improve".

Mr Mandela spent nearly three weeks in hospital in December before going home on December 26.

Mr Zuma's statement said Mr Mandela "continues to receive high care" at his Johannesburg home and "his daily routine is being gradually re-established".

He congratulated Mr Mandela on his recovery and said the anti-apartheid icon has "the love and support of all South Africans".

The news that Mr Mandela has recovered from the recurring lung infection and the minor surgery will reassure many in South Africa concerned about his health.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.