Mandela Back in Hospital in 'Serious but Stable' Condition

Former South African president Nelson Mandela, 94, was readmitted to hospital on Saturday with a renewed lung infection and is in "serious but stable" condition, the presidency said.

"This morning at about 1:30 am (2330 GMT Friday) his condition deteriorated and he was transferred to a Pretoria hospital. He remains in a serious but stable condition," President Jacob Zuma's office said in a statement.

It marks the second hospitalization for the ailing anti-apartheid hero in two months. On April 6 he was released from hospital after being treated for pneumonia during a 10-day stay.

Mandela spent 27 years as a prisoner of apartheid before embarking on a "long walk to freedom" which saw him crowned South Africa's first black president and a Nobel peace laureate.

Increasingly frail, the 94-year-old remains one of the world's most beloved figures even as his public appearances have become rare.

In 2009, the United Nations declared his birthday Nelson Mandela International Day, the first such honor for an individual.

One of Mandela's most recent forays on the world stage was to help bring the World Cup to South Africa in 2010, the first time the tournament was held in Africa. He delighted the crowds at the final with a surprise appearance on the back of a golf buggy.