Former President Nelson Mandela’s condition remains serious but stable on Monday, his third day in a Pretoria hospital, the South African government said.
“His condition is unchanged,” the office of President Jacob Zuma said in a brief statement.
Mr. Mandela, who is 94-years-old, was taken to a hospital early on Saturday to be treated for a recurring lung infection. On Sunday, members of Mandela’s family were seen visiting the hospital where he is believed to be staying.
Mr. Mandela, also known by his clan name Madiba, has been hospitalized several times in recent months. During a hospital stay that ended April 6, doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia and drained fluid from his chest.
“President Jacob Zuma reiterates his call for South Africa to pray for Madiba and the family during this time,” the presidential statement said.
On April 29, state television broadcast footage of a visit by Mr. Zuma and other leaders of the ruling African National Congress to Mandela’s home. Mr. Zuma said then that Mandela was in good shape, but the footage — the first public images of Mr. Mandela in nearly a year — showed him silent and unresponsive, even when Mr. Zuma tried to hold his hand.
Mr. Mandela has been particularly vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during 27 years as the prisoner of the white racist government.
