Mandela remains in critical but stable condition after 5 weeks in hospital, presidency says

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa's president says that Nelson Mandela remains in critical but stable condition.

President Jacob Zuma visited Mandela on Thursday and said the anti-apartheid hero continues to respond to treatment.

Mandela, 94, was hospitalized June 8 with a recurring lung infection. His hospitalization has generated an outpouring of love and support from around the world.

Mandela spent 27 years in the prison under white racist rule. He was released in 1990 and became South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994.