South African former president, Nelson Mandela, remains in hospital for the fifth night after suffering from a serious recurrent lung infection and is in "serious" condition, the South African government said on Thursday.
In a statement released by the government, Madiba, as he is affectionately known by in his home country, is improving health wise, but is still considered to be in a serious condition.
"We continue to appeal to people to keep Madiba in their prayers and wish him a speedy recovery," said the current president Jacob Zuma.
Mandela, South Africa's first black president, was admitted to hospital in the capital Pretoria in the early hours of Saturday for a pulmonary condition that has plagued him for years.
Mandela, 94, has a history of lung problems dating back to his time at the windswept Robben Island prison camp near Cape Town. He was released in 1990 after 27 years behind bars and went on to serve as president from 1994 to 1999.
International and local media have been staking out the hospital and Mr Mandela's Johannesburg home since then. And there has been a constant stream of relatives visiting the hospital.
Mandela has been hospitalized 4 times this past year. He has not been photographed or seen in the past 10 months, and the most recent image of the former president was from when current president Jacob Zuma went to visit him at his home. Mandela appeared frail, frozen-faced, unable to smile, and almost unresponsive.
The country is uniting and sending well-wishes to the beloved president and hopes for a speedy recovery.
