'He's a fighter': Mandela's condition remains serious Messages for Nelson Mandela are pictured outside of his Johannesburg home . Nelson Mandela remains in a serious but stable condition, the South African government said on Monday, three days after the revered peace icon was rushed to hospital with a recurrent lung infection. ""Former president Nelson Mandela remains in hospital, and his condition is unchanged,"" the presidency said in a statement. The frail 94-year-old was taken to a Pretoria hospital in the early hours of Saturday for a lung infection, with the government then describing his condition ""serious but stable"." It is the fourth hospital stay in seven months for the man beloved as a global symbol of peace and forgiveness and the father of the ""Rainbow Nation"." And with his latest health scare, South Africans are beginning to come to terms with the mortality of their anti-apartheid hero and first black president. ""I've seen my father and he's well. He's a fighter,"" one of Mandela's daughters Zindzi told South Africa's Guardian newspaper on Sunday. Two of Mandela's daughters and some grandchildren were spotted on Sunday entering a private specialist heart clinic in Pretoria where he is believed to be receiving treatment although the government has not confirmed where he is staying. The Star newspaper reported on Monday that Mandela's family has banned hospital visits by non-family members including government officials and members of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). The family declined to comment. But presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj, who served jail time with Mandela, said the authorities wanted ""to create a conducive environment for his recovery. ""So, close loved-ones are going to him for that reason, that's all, nothing else,"" he said. ""He is receiving treatment and we want him to receive the treatment in the best condition for his family."" The Nobel peace prize laureate, who turns 95 next month, was back in hospital two months after being discharged in April following treatment for pneumonia. Mandela was diagnosed with early-stage tuberculosis in 1988 and also has had treatment for prostate cancer and suffered stomach ailments. In December, Mandela spent 18 days in hospital, his longest stay since walking free from an apartheid prison in 1990.