JOHANNESBURG - President Nelson Mandela has begun three days of medical tests in a city clinic in an effort to quell persistent rumours that he is ill, writes Ed O'Loughlin.
Rumours that the ANC leader may be ill has battered South Africa's money markets' over the past three weeks, at one point driving the rand to an historic low of less than four to the dollar.
Although Mr Mandela (77) has announced he will stand down in South Africa's next election in 1999, there is already speculation that poor health may force him to retire earlier.