South Africans pray for their national hero as he continues to battle a lung infection in a Pretoria hospital.
The 94-year-old former South African leader spent a second night in a hospital in Pretoria after being admitted early on Saturday in a “serious but stable” condition.
The government’s choice of words is cause for concern to South Africa’s 53 million people, for whom Mandela remains a potent symbol of the struggle against apartheid.
Early on Sunday morning, the Soweto faithful gathered at the Regina Mundi church to pray for his health. The priest said: “Once again he is not well. You and I know the role that he played, not only for ourselves as South Africans, but for the world.”
Mandela has been treated in a hospital several times in recent months, and was last discharged on 6 April after doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia and drained fluid from his chest.
His health problems date back to a bout of tuberculosis contracted during his 27-year imprisonment on Robben Island under apartheid.
Newspapers in South Africa are dominated by the news, with many referring to Mandela by his clan name Madiba in a show of affection.
An old friend of Mandela’s, Andrew Mlangeni, was quoted in a newspaper as saying that it was time to let the ailing former president go.
The family must release him so that God may have his own way. Andrew Mlangeni
Mr Mlangeni said: “The family must release him so that God may have his own way. They must release him spiritually and put their faith in the hands of God.
“Once the family releases him, the people of South Africa will follow.”
In Soweto, where murals of Mandela adorn the walls, locals were keen to express their hope for a quick recovery.
Mlugisi Sekhosana said: “The message I have for Nelson Mandela is to have a speedy recovery, he must get well. We know what he did for us in South Africa. All the nation, black and whites, we wish him well.”
Prince Mzwandile said: “I wish Madiba a speedy recovery. He must recover very, very quick and be out of the hospital and go home and relax.”
The anti-apartheid leader became president in South Africa’s all-race elections in 1994.