Former South African leader Nelson Mandela is in `` serious but stable condition '' at a Pretoria hospital with a recurring lung infection , the presidential spokesman said Saturday . Mandela was hospitalized early Saturday after the state of his health deteriorated in the last few days , according to spokesman Mac Maharaj . `` He 's receiving the best possible care , '' he said . `` Everything is being done to ensure that he is comfortable and that he is getting better . '' Maharaj said that the anti-apartheid icon is breathing on his own . Mandela 's wife , Graca Machel , is at the hospital with him , sources told CNN . She canceled her plans to attend the Hunger Summit meeting in London on Saturday . South Africa 's first black president gets round-the-clock care , and his house is retrofitted with medical equipment that mirrors that of an intensive care unit . Mandela , 94 , has become increasingly frail over the years and has not appeared in public since South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010 . Despite his rare public appearances , news of his ailment spark concerns worldwide . `` I think the concern , the anxiety shown by people throughout the world and South Africa is perfectly understandable , '' Maharaj said . `` I think it is also true simultaneously that people have come to terms with his age . The most important thing is that we should realize that this is a life that we need to celebrate , even when he 's with us . And we will celebrate it , even when he is not with us . '' Mandela has been in and out of hospitals in recent years . His history of lung problems dates to when he was a political prisoner on Robben Island during apartheid , and he has battled respiratory infections over the years . Last year , he spent Christmas holidays undergoing treatment for a lung infection and gallstones , one of his longest hospital stays since his release from prison in 1990 . Considered the founding father of South Africa 's democracy , Mandela became an international figure while enduring 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid , the country 's system of racial segregation . `` He has taught us ... that we enhance our own humanity when we serve and make a difference to other people 's lives , '' Maharaj said . `` It 's easy to serve oneself , own interests , but serving the interests of others , making their lives better changes the quality of all humanity . '' In 1993 , Mandela and then-South African President F.W . de Klerk jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize . The iconic leader was elected the nation 's first black president a year later , serving only one term , as he had promised . Despite rare public appearances in recent years , he retains his popularity and is considered a hero of democracy in the nation . Last year , South Africa launched a new batch of banknotes with a picture of a smiling Mandela on the front , a testament to his iconic status . Mandela 's impact extends far beyond South African borders . After he left office , he mediated conflicts from Africa to the Middle East .
`` Anxiety shown by people throughout the world is perfectly understandable , '' spokesman says . Mandela is taken to a Pretoria hospital early Saturday . He is breathing on his own despite lung infection . Score: 6