Mandela remains in serious condition, gov’t says

A person walks past a mural of Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday June 10, 2013. South Africa’s president says Mandela remains in serious but stable condition during his fourth day in the hospital. AP Photo

JOHANNESBURG— South Africa’s president says that Nelson Mandela remains in serious but stable condition during his fourth day in the hospital.

A government statement Tuesday says that President Jacob Zuma is satisfied that the medical team treating Mandela is doing all they can to improve his health. Zuma was given a briefing by the medical staff late Monday.

Zuma said media reports that indicated he would visit Mandela in the hospital on Tuesday are incorrect.

Mandela was hospitalized on Saturday for a recurring lung infection. It’s the fourth time since December that South Africa’s anti-apartheid hero has been hospitalized.

Mandela spent 27 years in prison before becoming South Africa’s first black president in 1994.