Johannesburg -
The SA Communist Party wished former president Nelson Mandela a speedy recovery as he spends his fourth day in a Pretoria hospital, the party said on Tuesday.
The party extended a word of appreciation to the medical team treating Madiba, spokesman Malesela Maleka said in a statement.
Mandela was suffering from a lung infection, the presidency said on Tuesday.
“Doctors have concluded the tests, and these have revealed a recurrence of a previous lung infection, for which Madiba is receiving appropriate treatment, and he is responding to the treatment,” the presidency said.
“President (Jacob) Zuma thanks the public for continuous support to former president Mandela and his family at this time.”
Media continued camping outside 1 Military Hospital on the outskirts of Pretoria on Tuesday.
Soldiers were stopping and searching cars at the main entrance. News crews, including an outside broadcast vehicle, were turned back at the entrance.
On Monday, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said Mandela was “doing very, very well” while undergoing unspecified medical tests.
She offered the first government confirmation that Mandela, who had received military medical care since 2011, was at that hospital.
On Monday the presidency said Mandela was fine and was due for further tests.
On Saturday, Zuma's office announced Mandela had been admitted to a Pretoria hospital for medical tests and care that was “consistent for his age”.
Zuma visited Mandela on Sunday morning at the hospital and found the former leader “comfortable and in good care,” presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said in a statement.
The condition the tests were related to had not been disclosed.
In February, Mandela spent a night in a hospital for a minor diagnostic surgery to determine the cause of an abdominal complaint.
In January 2011 Mandela was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for what officials initially described as tests, but what turned out to be an acute respiratory infection.
Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for fighting racist white rule, became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and served one five-year term.
The Nobel laureate later retired from public life to live in his home town, the remote village of Qunu, in the Eastern Cape. He made his last public appearance when South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament. - Sapa