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South Africans get rare glimpse of Mandela

By Kim Norgaard, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Nelson Mandela cast a special ballot Monday for South Africa's upcoming Wednesday elections
  • It is the first time Mandela has been unable to travel to a polling station since the 1994 elections
  • The 92-year-old hasn't been seen in public since last year's World Cup final in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg, South Africa (CNN) -- South Africans got a rare glimpse of former President Nelson Mandela as he voted in local municipal elections at his home in Johannesburg on Monday.

The ailing Nobel laureate and first democratically-elected president of South Africa was seen in photos released by the South African government voting at home ahead of the Wednesday elections.

This is the first time that Mandela has been unable to travel to a polling station since the first democratic elections in 1994.

Since retiring, Mandela has voted at the Houghton Golf Club which is close to his Johannesburg home. His last appearance there was to cast his vote in the 2009 presidential elections.

The photos show Mandela surrounded by his grandchildren, his wife Graca Machel and election officials.

The 92-year-old no longer makes public appearances and has not been seen in public since the final of the FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg on July 11, 2010.

Earlier this year, concerns over Mandela's health flared after he was rushed from Cape Town and admitted to a Johannesburg hospital with pnemonia.

Since the health scare neither the South African government, the Mandela family or the Mandela Foundation has released specific information on his health, saying it is a private matter.

These photos come as Mandela's political party, the African National Congress, faces a test on Wednesday in municipal elections which have been marred by anger at the slow pace of service delivery and frequent accusations of corruption against the ruling party.