South Africans prayed for Nelson Mandela's recovery on Sunday as the 94-year-old former president spent a second day in hospital with a recurring lung infection.

Mandela, who became South Africa's first black leader in 1994 after the defeat of apartheid and remains a global symbol of triumph over adversity, was hospitalized early on Saturday after his already frail health worsened.

It is his fourth hospital stay since December. The government said on Saturday his condition was "serious but stable". During previous hospital visits, it had highlighted his "good spirits".