Barack Obama will not visit Nelson Mandela in hospital, says White House US president Barack Obama speaks at a press conference in Pretoria with South African leader Jacob Zuma. Photograph: Gary Cameron/Reuters The US president, Barack Obama, and Michelle Obama will meet relatives of Nelson Mandela but will not visit the former South African president in hospital, the White House has announced. Obama arrived in South Africa on Friday on the second stop of a three-nation Africa tour. Mandela, 94, remains in a critical but stable condition at the Mediclinic heart hospital in Pretoria. "Out of deference to Nelson Mandela's peace and comfort and the family's wishes, they will not be visiting the hospital," the White House said in a statement. The Obamas would meet members of the Mandela family privately on Saturday "to offer their thoughts and prayers at this difficult time." Speaking at a press conference with the South African president, Jacob Zuma, Obama said Mandela was a beacon of the power of principle and standing up for what was right. He said the recent outpouring of love for Mandela showed the deep yearning for justice and dignity in the human spirit which transcended class, race and country. Zuma said Mandela was "critical but stable" but "we hope that very soon he will be out of hospital." The prospect of a meeting between the first black presidents of the US and South Africa has receded since Mandela was taken to hospital with a recurring lung infection three weeks ago. "We'll see what the situation is when we land," he told journalists on board Air Force One. The president added: "So when we get there we'll gauge the situation, but I think the main message we'll want to deliver if not directly to him but to his family is simply our profound gratitude for his leadership all these years and that the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with him and his family and his country. Obama is due to visit Soweto, the sprawling township where Mandela used to live, on Saturday. On Sunday he will head to Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. Eusebius McKaiser, a political analyst and radio talkshow host, said a meeting between Obama and Mandela would be undesirable. "Nelson Mandela is incredibly frail and in the process of possibly dying," he said. McKaiser said: "Obama would never be overshadowed domestically in any country as he is by Madiba" (Mandela's clan name). Nelson Mandela is such a larger-than-life figure that the only way Obama seems to be able to get press coverage of his African tour is when he talks about Nelson Mandela. Obama and the first lady have a busy schedule over the weekend, but media reports said it could be torn up should Mandela die.