Nelson Mandela still hospitalized, despite reports

Reports from early Saturday that former South African president Nelson Mandela had been released from hospital proved to be false, but not before sparking a media frenzy.

News outlets rushed to Mandela's Johannesburg home, hoping to catch a glimpse of the 95-year-old leader, who was hospitalized with a lung infection June 8. They were disappointed to learn the story was the result of a "miscommunication" between a member of Mandela's medical team and a family member.

""The family mistakenly thought Mandela had been taken to his Johannesburg home early Saturday morning," a source explained. "It is the general wish of both the family and the medical team that he goes home soon."

The report forced President Jacob Zuma to release a statement correcting the false report.

"The presidency has noted incorrect media reports that former President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital," the statement from Zuma's office said.

"Madiba is still in hospital in Pretoria, and remains in a critical but stable condition. At times his condition becomes unstable, but he responds to medical interventions."

Mandela's history of lung infections stems from the 20 years he spent imprisoned on Robben Island. Four years after he was released from prison in 1990, Mandela became South Africa's first black president and the first elected in multi-racial voting.