South Africa: Nelson Mandela has been admitted to hospital with a lung infection, the office of South African President Jacob Zuma says.

In a statement on its website, it said the former president had had a lung infection for several days.

It deteriorated on Saturday morning and he was transferred to a hospital in Pretoria. He is said to be in a "serious but stable condition", reports BBC.

 Mandela, 94, has recently suffered a series of health problems.

He has recently suffered a series of health problems and this is his fifth visit to hospital in two years.

In April he was released from hospital after a 10-day stay caused by pneumonia.

His illness was described on Saturday as a recurrence of a lung infection, which has troubled him repeatedly.

Mr Mandela, South Africa's first black president, was taken to hospital, from his home in a suburb of Johannesburg, at about 01:30 local time.

Mac Maharaj, South Africa's presidential spokesman, told the BBC he was receiving expert medical care.

Doctors were doing everything possible to make him comfortable and better, he added.

Ends/RG/08/06/13