'Thank God for the gift of Mandela', Desmond Tutu urges as Jacob Zuma calls on South African to 'pray for Madiba'

Nelson Mandela remains in a 'serious but stable' condition as he spends a third day in hospital, the South African government said today. President Jacob Zuma called for the country to 'pray for Madiba' as his office announced Mr Mandela's 'condition is unchanged.' The former president, who will be 95 next month, was taken to hospital on Saturday after experiencing breathing difficulties. He has been hospitalised four times in the last six months. The government has previously played down fears over the ailing health of Mr Mandela, also known by his clan name Madiba. He is said to be conscious, able to breathe on his own and communicate. Today, Archbishop Desmond Tutu made the ailing leader the focus of his prayers. 'As the beloved father of our nation ... Nelson Mandela once again endures the ravages of time in hospital our prayers are for his comfort and his dignity,' a statement from Desmond and Leah Tutu's foundation said. 'We offer our thanks to God for the extraordinary gift of Mr Mandela, and wish his family strength,' Tutu said. Mr Mandela’s wife, Graça Machel, accompanied him to hospital in Pretoria and remains at his bedside. 'President Jacob Zuma reiterates his call for South Africa to pray for Madiba and the family during this time,' the presidential statement said. Yesterday, members of the Mandela family were seen visiting the hospital where the anti-apartheid leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate is believed to be staying. His wife, 67, cancelled an appearance at a high-profile hunger summit in London yesterday to be with her husband. Ms Machel was due to address the Nutrition for Growth meeting in the capital along with dozens of African leaders, non-governmental organisations and charities, as well as speakers such as Bill Gates and Justine Greening, Secretary of State for International Development. During a hospital stay in April, doctors diagnosed Mr Mandela with pneumonia and drained fluid from his chest. On April 29, state television broadcast footage of a visit by Zuma and other leaders of the ruling African National Congress to Mandela's home. President Zuma said then that Mandela was in good shape, but the footage - the first public images of Mandela in nearly a year - showed him silent and unresponsive, even when Zuma tried to hold his hand. Mr Mandela has been particularly vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during 27 years as the prisoner of the white South African government. The bulk of that period was spent on Robben Island, off the coast of Cape Town where Mandela and other prisoners spent part of the time toiling in a stone quarry. Mandela was freed in 1990 and won election to the presidency in the country's first all-race elections in 1994. He was seen by many around the world as a symbol of resolve and reconciliation for his sacrifice in confinement as well as his peacemaking efforts during the tense transition that saw the demise of the apartheid system. The former leader retired from public life years ago and had received medical care at home in Johannesburg until his latest transfer to a hospital.