Nelson Mandela was in critical condition Sunday after a deterioration in his health, and doctors "are doing everything possible'' for him, South Africa's government said.
The office of President Jacob Zuma said that on Sunday evening the president had visited Mandela, the former president of the country who was imprisoned for nearly three decades as he battled the country's apartheid system of racial separatism.
Zuma's office said he was informed by Mandela's doctors that his condition had become critical in the past 24 hours.
Mandela, 94, has been in intensive care for more than two weeks. He was hospitalized on June 8 for what the government said was a recurring lung infection.
"The doctors are doing everything possible to get his condition to improve and are ensuring that Madiba is well-looked after and is comfortable,'' Zuma said in a statement. "He is in good hands."
Madiba is Mandela's tribal nickname.
Zuma visited Mandela along with ANC Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Mandela. Zuma also met Graca Machel, Mandela's wife, at the hospital and discussed the former leader's condition, according to the statement.
Zuma appealed to South Africans and the rest of the world to pray for Mandela, his family and his medical team. Mandela turns 95 on July 18.
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SOURCE: USA Today
William M. Welch
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