Johannesburg – Former president Nelson Mandela’s daughter says Madiba is making “dramatic” progress.

On the eve of his 95th birthday, Zindzi Mandela said in an interview that her father might be going home soon.

Mandela turns 95 on Thursday.

Zindzi said that her father was watching television with headphones in his bed in the Pretoria Medi-Clinic heart hospital and that he smiled frequently at family members and raised his hand.

The latest description by Zindzi, who is one of Madiba’s daughters by his second wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, was a significant improvement from court documents from the family that said earlier that he was on life support and near death.

Mandela has been in hospital since 8 June and officials say his condition is critical but stable.

AP