South Africans have been saying prayers for their ailing former leader Nelson Mandela as the country deals with the realisation that the man widely regarded as the father of the nation may not have long left.
Mr Mandela, 94, was admitted to hospital in Pretoria in the early hours of Saturday after the recurrence of a long-standing lung infection.
The office of the current president, Jacob Zuma, said over the weekend that Mr Mandela was in a “serious but stable condition”. There have been no further official reports on his health.
Andrew Mlangeni, an old friend of Mr Mandela, told South Africa’s Sunday Times that he wished the former president would get better, but said he had been taken to hospital “too many times” and there was a possibility he would not recover.
“The family must release him so that God may have his own way,” said Mr Mlangeni, who was imprisoned alongside Mr Mandela and other anti-apartheid leaders in the 1960s.
“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. We will say thank you, God, you have given us this man, and we will release him too.”
On Sunday, Mr Mandela’s daughter Makaziwe and granddaughter Ndileka Mandela were seen visiting the hospital where he is believed to be staying.
His wife Graca Machel cancelled an appearance at a high-profile hunger summit in London on Saturday to be with her husband.
The anti-apartheid leader has now been taken to hospital four times since December, with the last discharge coming on April 6 after doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia and drained fluid from his lung area.