Nelson Mandela appears to be recovering

South African civil rights icon Nelson Mandela appears to be making a recovery after he was sent back to the hospital for a recurring lung infection, leaving many of his admirers relieved. 

Grandson Mandla Mandela said that Mandela "looked good" after he paid a visit to him in the hospital, writes the BBC, helping to soothe widely-broadcast fears that the former president was near death.

Read more from GlobalPost: On anniversary of his imprisonment, Mandela battles for life

"I thank the nation and the world for the prayers for Madiba, and the doctors and the office of the ANC for keeping the family updated," added Mandla Mandela, according to ABC, adding that the news "gave us hope that he would recover soon."

Mandela has been in the Mediclinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria for over a week, laid up with a lung infection that appears to have been recurring for the past few years. His last public appearance was during the 2010 World Cup, and public access to him has been limited since. 

The ninety-four-year-old Mandela played a major role in the end of arpatheid in South Africa, and became the first black president of the African nation in 1994. 

June 12th was the anniversary of Mandela's 1964 sentence to a lifetime in prison at Robben Island off of Capetown, in poor conditions that would help to do damage to his lungs.