Former South African leader Nelson Mandela is in a stable condition, his granddaughter says, though he remains critical.
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| Karen Allen is outside the hospital where Mr Mandela is being treated |
Ndileka Mandela said the 94-year-old's family were taking comfort from messages of support from the public.
Mr Mandela's health had worsened in recent days, prompting President Jacob Zuma to cancel a foreign visit.
South Africa's first black president has been in hospital since 8 June with a lung infection.
Emotional crowds continue to gather outside the Pretoria hospital.
They have been adding messages of support for Mr Mandela, known by his clan name Madiba.
Correspondents say South Africans now seem resigned to the prospect of his death.
"We don't like seeing Mandela going through so
much pain, he has had a tough time in his life and he's gone through a
lot of struggle. I think this struggle should get over sooner," Khulile
Mlondleni told the BBC.
"We are all going to feel bad when he passes [away], but at
the same time we will be celebrating his life. He has done so many great
things for this country," said 25-year-old John Ndlovu, quoted by
Reuters news agency.
Speculation warning
After visiting her grandfather in hospital, Mdileka Mandela said it was an anxious time for the family.
"He's stable and we'd like to say that we thank everybody for
giving their support and praying with us ... we are anxious as you know
that he is critical but he's in a stable condition right now," she
said.
"It's been hard, especially because of all of this - that we have to do everything in the public eye."
Mr Zuma's spokesman Mac Maharaj said on Wednesday evening that Mr Mandela's condition had deteriorated over the weekend.
After consultations with doctors, Mr Zuma said he was cancelling his trip to a regional summit in the Mozambican capital Maputo.
Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has rarely been seen at official events since.
He has a long history of lung problems, and was diagnosed
with tuberculosis in the 1980s while he was a prisoner on Robben Island.
After his release, Mr Mandela said that the tuberculosis was probably caused by dampness in his prison cell.
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