JOHANNESBURG , South Africa ( CNN ) -- Nelson Mandela 's current hospitalization is due to a lung infection , authorities said Tuesday . Doctors were treating Mandela and he was responding to treatment , a statement from President Jacob Zuma 's office said . Mandela , 94 , was hospitalized over the weekend at a Pretoria facility but the exact nature of his ailment had not been released . Tuesday 's statement said he had a recurrence of a previous lung infection . Mandela has not appeared in public since the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa . The former president gets round-the-clock care after abdominal surgery this year and an acute respiratory infection in 2011 . The Nobel Peace Prize laureate spent 27 years in prison for fighting against oppression of blacks in South Africa . He became the nation 's first black president in 1994 , four years after he was freed from prison . Despite his rare appearances , Mandela retains his popularity and is considered a hero of democracy in the nation . Just last month , South Africa launched a new batch of banknotes with a picture of a smiling Mandela on the front . The new 10 , 20 , 50 , 100 and 200 rand banknotes all feature pictures of the global icon .
Mandela was hospitalized over the weekend . Doctors ran tests on the 94-year-old . The former South African president is in a coma and has been sedated since Sunday, his family said Monday.