Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been admitted to a hospital in Johannesburg on advice from his doctors.

President Jacob Zuma issued a statement Saturday saying that Mr. Mandela has had “a long-standing abdominal complaint and doctors feel it needs proper specialist medical attention.”

Mr. Zuma expressed get-well wishes from the South African people and also requested the public respect the privacy of Mr. Mandela and his family.

The 93-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner has not appeared in public in recent months due to his fragile health.

Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994, ending the all-white rule of authority called apartheid.