Worshippers of a church group pray for former South African President Nelson Mandela on a hill overlooking Johannesburg on Saturday. Mandela, 94, fell ill several days ago, but his condition deteriorated overnight and he was transferred to a Pretoria hospital Saturday, when he was listed in serious condition with a lung infection, according to government officials. It is the latest in a worrisome series of medical ailments plaguing the nation’s venerated first post-apartheid black leader.

The South African government said it would announce an update only in the event of a major change in his condition. On previous occasions, the government has downplayed the seriousness of Mandela’s illnesses, so the admission that Mandela was in serious condition underscored the fears over the elderly statesman’s increasing frailty.

— Los Angeles Times