South Africa's leader has retracted comments in which he said that Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, 59, had died.
President Thabo Mbeki asked for a minute's silence on Thursday but his office later said reports of Mr Mwanawasa's death were "not true".
Zambia's Vice-President Rupiah Banda said Mr Mwanawasa had had a "satisfactory night" in Paris.
He was flown there from Egypt, where he had suffered a stroke on Sunday ahead of an African Union summit.
South African radio earlier quoted a spokesman who said he was from Zambia's High Commission as saying Mr Mwanawasa had died.
Mr Mbeki called for the minute's silence at a ceremony for those killed in a recent wave of attacks on foreigners in South Africa.
"The executive secretary of Sadc [the Southern African Development Community] called me to say the president of Zambia, Levy Mwanawasa, had passed away this morning," he said, reports Reuters news agency.
But the foreign affairs department later issued a "clarification".
"The South African Government has been informed that President Mwanawasa has not passed on," it said.
"President Mbeki regrets the misunderstanding; and on behalf of the government and on his own behalf, wishes President Mwanawasa a speedy recovery."
President Thabo Mbeki asked for a minute's silence on Thursday but his office later said reports of Mr Mwanawasa's death were "not true".
Zambia's Vice-President Rupiah Banda said Mr Mwanawasa had had a "satisfactory night" in Paris.
He was flown there from Egypt, where he had suffered a stroke on Sunday ahead of an African Union summit.
South African radio earlier quoted a spokesman who said he was from Zambia's High Commission as saying Mr Mwanawasa had died.
Mr Mbeki called for the minute's silence at a ceremony for those killed in a recent wave of attacks on foreigners in South Africa.
"The executive secretary of Sadc [the Southern African Development Community] called me to say the president of Zambia, Levy Mwanawasa, had passed away this morning," he said, reports Reuters news agency.
But the foreign affairs department later issued a "clarification".
"The South African Government has been informed that President Mwanawasa has not passed on," it said.
"President Mbeki regrets the misunderstanding; and on behalf of the government and on his own behalf, wishes President Mwanawasa a speedy recovery."
Yesterday just proved how powerful the internet is as a medium for spreading news. A careless comment on a radio station in South Africa soon sent all the news wires spinning. Even Wikipedia updated the entries for the President and his deputy.
The Editorial in today's POST sums up the situation very well, "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst".
The PANEL
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