S.Africa president doing ‘very well’ in hospital: wife

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma is “doing very well” after being admitted to hospital for exhaustion, one of his four wives said on Sunday.

“He just needed time to rest,” said Bongi Ngema-Zuma, according to SAPA news agency, without giving further details.

A senior official of the ruling ANC earlier said Zuma was expected to be discharged on Sunday, a day after he was admitted for tests following reports of exhaustion.

But there was no update from Zuma’s office by Sunday evening.

Mantashe said party officials had asked the president on Friday to take a break because “the punishing election programme was taking its toll, not on him only, (but) on many of us”.

“Taking the advantage of having been given that time off, the president went for routine health check in hospital yesterday,” said Mantashe.

Zuma’s office said doctors were “satisfied” with the 72-year-old leader’s condition. He is expected to take several days off public engagements.

His next scheduled public appearance is on June 19 when he is due to deliver the state of the nation address in parliament.

He was sworn in for a second term two weeks ago after his African National Congress (ANC) party won the May 7 elections with an overwhelming 62 percent of the vote.