Former South African president Nelson Mandela is spending his fourth day at a Pretoria hospital, getting treatment for a recurring lung infection.
There was no update on his condition from the government early Tuesday.
President Jacob Zuma's office said Monday that Mr. Mandela remained "serious but stable" and that his condition had not changed since he was admitted last Saturday.
Also Monday, Mr. Mandela's ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, and their daughter visited him at the hospital.
The 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon has been hospitalized four times since December. Many South Africans see Mr. Mandela as the father of their nation.
A friend of the elder leader, Andrew Mlangeni, told the Sunday Times newspaper that the internationally admired statesman may not be well again, and he urged family members to "release him." Mlangeni said "Once the family releases him, the people of South Africa will follow."
Mr. Mandela has been vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment under South Africa's apartheid system.
He was released in 1990 and went on to serve as president after his African National Congress party won the 1994 democratic election.
Mr. Mandela has rarely been seen in public in recent years, as his health has become more fragile.
There was no update on his condition from the government early Tuesday.
President Jacob Zuma's office said Monday that Mr. Mandela remained "serious but stable" and that his condition had not changed since he was admitted last Saturday.
Also Monday, Mr. Mandela's ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, and their daughter visited him at the hospital.
The 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon has been hospitalized four times since December. Many South Africans see Mr. Mandela as the father of their nation.
A friend of the elder leader, Andrew Mlangeni, told the Sunday Times newspaper that the internationally admired statesman may not be well again, and he urged family members to "release him." Mlangeni said "Once the family releases him, the people of South Africa will follow."
Mr. Mandela has been vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment under South Africa's apartheid system.
He was released in 1990 and went on to serve as president after his African National Congress party won the 1994 democratic election.
Mr. Mandela has rarely been seen in public in recent years, as his health has become more fragile.