Winnie Mandela "absolutely fine" in hospital - spokesman

South African anti-apartheid veteran Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, ex-wife of the late president Nelson Mandela, is "absolutely fine" after being admitted to hospital for observation, her spokesman said on Friday.

Doctors decided on Wednesday to keep the 80-year-old former first lady in hospital after she underwent a routine checkup.

"I was with her and she's absolutely fine," spokesman Victor Dlamini told television broadcaster eNCA.

Madikizela-Mandela spent several weeks in hospital last year for back surgery.

During her ex-husband's 27-year incarceration for his fight against apartheid, Madikizela-Mandela campaigned for his release and for the rights of black South Africans, undergoing detention, banishment and arrest.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)