Pretoria - Former president Nelson Mandela's relatives kept up a steady of flow of visits on Friday to the Mediclinic Heart Hospital, in Pretoria, where he is being treated.
His daughter Makaziwe Mandela and granddaughters Ndileka Mandela and Tukwini Mandela left the hospital just before 5pm.
His ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and her daughter Zindzi Mandela-Motlhajwa followed soon after. Photographers scrambled to take pictures of the family as they got into their cars.
Outside the hospital, the number of well-wishers decreased as the weather became chilly.
A section of the hospital's perimeter wall has been turned into a wall of tributes, and has become an attraction in the area and the backdrop for the photographs of many a passer-by.
It is also being used by amateur photographers offering well-wishers instant pictures, as they turn Mandela's hospitalisation into businesses.
Two students from the University of Pretoria were using the opportunity to sell T-shirts depicting Mandela's face for R150 each.
However, Ryan Charles and James de Jager said they were staying true to Mandela's spirit of giving.
“We donate a portion of the money we make to charities. If we sell large quantities to a group, we donate to a charity of their choice,” De Jager said.
They said this was part of their 67 minutes of charity work in honour of Mandela.
People across the world are asked to volunteer 67 minutes of their time in charitable service on Mandela's birthday on July 18, which the United Nations officially declared Nelson Mandela International Day in 2009. The 67 minutes represent the 67 years Mandela fought for humanity's rights.
Mandela spent a 35th day in the hospital on Friday for treatment of a recurring lung infection.
According to the last official medical update, his condition remains “critical, but stable”. - Sapa