Nelson Mandela begins third day in South Africa hospital

Nelson Mandela is spending a third day in a South African hospital for treatment of a lung infection, with no details yet on how long he will stay, BBC reports.

On Friday the 94-year-old was said to be making "steady progress" but there is no new update on his condition.

The office of South African President Jacob Zuma had said on Friday that Mr Mandela was "in good spirits".

After Mr Mandela was admitted to hospital late on Wednesday, President Zuma said people "must not panic".

The former president first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on windswept Robben Island.

His lungs are said to have been damaged while working in a prison quarry. This latest spell in hospital is his fourth in just over two years.

Mr Mandela served as South Africa's first black president from 1994 to 1999 and is regarded by many as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid.