Nelson Mandela Dead? Former South African President Becomes Victim of Death Hoax

Nelson Mandela is dead. At least that's what some are saying on the Internet but the rumors are just a cruel hoax. Mandela is not doing very well but he hasn't died yet.

Rumors started circulating this weekend that Mandela died and some sources may have made the rumor worse. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, a Twitter account for Piers Morgan said "Breaking News: Nelson Mandela's spokesman has confirmed the tragic news that the former leader died earlier this afternoon in his sleep."

The tweet might be easy to believe considering Mandela's current condition. The former South African president was recently hospitalized for a recurring lung infection. He was listed in "serious but stable" condition. He is being treated in the capital city of Pretoria, South Africa.

"During the past few days, former President Nelson Mandela has had a recurrence of lung infection," said a statement from the office of President Jacob Zuma. "This morning at about 1:30 a.m., his condition deteriorated and he was transferred to a Pretoria hospital."

It said Mandela was receiving expert medical care and "doctors are doing everything possible to make him better and comfortable."

Since he is 94 years old, it will take a long time for Mandela to recover from the current infection and this isn't the first one.

He had been in an out of hospitals on several occasions over the past few months. He was last discharged on April 6 after doctors said he had pneumonia and drained fluid from his lung area. The former president has been susceptible to lung problems since he contracted tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment under apartheid.

However some sources decided to take the report of his poor health out of proportion and declare Mandela dead, like the Piers Morgan account. However the Piers Morgan account was a fake as the handle was @piersrnorgan. According to SMH, the message from that account was retweeted 1,300 times.

Mandela may not be in good health but he is still alive.