[attach id=262080 size="medium"]Former South African President Nelson Mandela. Photo: Reuters[/attach]

The South African presidency said late yesterday the condition of Nelson Mandela had turned ‘critical’.

The office of Jacob Zuma said that the President had visited the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader late yesterday evening and was informed by the medical team that Mandela’s condition had become critical in the past 24 hours.

According to Sky News, Mr Zuma said in a statement: “The doctors are doing everything possible to get his condition to improve and are ensuring that Madiba is well-looked after and is comfortable. He is in good hands.”

Mandela, who became South Africa’s first black President after the end of apartheid in 1994, was taken to hospital on June 8 for what the government said was a recurring lung infection. He has suffered repeated bouts of illness in recent months and has been admitted to hospital four times since December.

The former South African President made his last public appearance at the World Cup closing ceremony in Johannesburg in 2010.