Nelson Mandela showing 'great resilience' in hospital

South Africa's ailing former leader,
Nelson Mandela, is said to be showing
great resilience though his condition
becomes unstable at times.
The state of the 95-year-old is "still
critical but stable", according to a
statement from the South African
president's office.
He remains in hospital in Pretoria two-
and-a-half months after being admitted
with a recurring lung infection.
The statement largely squares with
comments from members of his family.
"Critical but stable" is the phrase used by
the government for weeks now, the
BBC's Mike Wooldridge reports from
Johannesburg.
However, Saturday's statement does
provide some fresh insight into the
precariousness of the health of the global
icon and the reserves he still appears
able to call upon, our correspondent
adds.
The statement said doctors were still
working hard to bring about a
turnaround in his health and, as a result
of medical interventions, his condition
tended to stabilise.
President Jacob Zuma, who is travelling
to Malaysia on an official visit, urged the
country to continue praying for Mr
Mandela and to keep him in their
thoughts at all times.
Mr Mandela, who stepped down as the
country's first black president in 1999,
entered hospital on 8 June.
The anti-apartheid activist's lung
infection is believed to date back to the
period of nearly three decades he spent
in prison, for his activities in the African
National Congress.
People from South Africa and around the
world have sent him their best wishes,
and flowers and other tributes have
collected outside Pretoria's Medi Clinic
Heart Hospital.