Former South African president and Nobel peace laureate Nelson Mandela is reported to be in "good spirits" following a visit by South African President Jacob Zuma on Christmas Day.

"We found him [Mandela] in good spirits. He was happy to have visitors on this special day and is looking much better," Zuma said, adding that doctors are happy with the progress that the former president is making.

94-year old Mandela, who was admitted to hospital on December 8 following a recurrent lung treatment, also underwent surgery to remove gallstones in a hospital in Pretoria.

Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994. For many, he remains a symbol of resistance to racism. He spent 27 years in prison for fighting Apartheid – the South Africa's official policy of racial segregation. It was during his time in prison that he developed lung problems that began when he caught tuberculosis.

Why Mandela's health matters

Despite his age and health problems in recent years, this has been Mandela's longest stay in hospital since he left prison in 1990. And it is being followed closely both at home and abroad.

"The fact the he is the world's most famous [former] political prisoner turned president turned elder statesman (…) makes him clearly a global commodity in news media terms," South African political analyst Daniel Silke told DW.

The South African government has come under severe criticism from the media and people who feel that it has not been transparent about disclosing the details on the former president's hospitalization.

Silke believes that because of some communication problems in the past regarding the former president's health, the South African government has responded by being more protective.

"But clearly this needs to be done professionally…I think the current South African government continues to learn on the job as to how to accomplish this," Silke added.

The recent re-election of President Jacob Zuma exacerbates the memories that South Africans of Mandela as a leader who could bring all South Africans together, he noted.

"I think in a strange way it puts Mandela's health on the front burner just because South Africans are thinking about the domestic political situation here and how things may be into the future," he added.