Summary Former South African President Nelson Mandela remained in a critical condition in hospital.
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - The family of critically ill anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela gathered around his hospital bedside on Monday as millions in South Africa and across the world feared for the worst.
"Former president Mandela remains in a critical condition in hospital," South African President Jacob Zuma said in a televised address to an anxious nation broadcast around the globe.
"The doctors are doing everything possible to ensure his well being and comfort," Zuma said.
Mandela, the hero of black South Africans battle for freedom during 27 years in apartheid jails, was rushed to hospital on June 8 with a recurring lung infection.
Despite intensive treatment at Pretoria s Mediclinic Heart Hospital, the 94-year-old s condition appears to have suddenly and dramatically deteriorated.
Ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela -- herself a figurehead of the anti-apartheid struggle -- daughters Zindzi Mandela-Motlhajwa and Zenani Mandela-Dlamini and scores of officials flocked to the hospital on Monday.
The family visits, while common since Mandela was admitted 17 days ago, come amid heightened fears for the former statesman s health.
Mandela s eldest daughter Makaziwe has said her father appears to be at peace with himself.
"He has given so much to the world. I believe he is at peace."
At the same time she complained about the "media frenzy" over her father s condition.
"Whether these are the last moments with us, to be with our dad, or there is still a longer (time), but they (media) must back off," she told CNN.
Zuma on Monday also hailed the life of a man seen as the father of the nation, whose citizens must accept his frailty.
"All of us in the country should accept that Madiba is now old," Zuma said, using Mandela s clan name.
"I think what we need to do as a country is to pray for him to be well and that the doctors do their work."
On the world stage Mandela is seen as a moral beacon that continues to shine long after the Nobel Peace laureate retired from public life.
Mandela was last seen in public in 2010 at the football World Cup finals in South Africa.
"He is the father of democracy and this is the man who fought and sacrificed his life," said Zuma, who spent 10 years in jail on Robben Island at the same time as Mandela.
The anti-apartheid hero went on to become South Africa s first black president in 1994 after almost half a century of white minority rule.
