Pretoria – Former president Nelson Mandela’s eldest granddaughter Ndileka Mandela visited him on Tuesday in the Pretoria hospital where he is being treated for a lung infection.

She entered the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital around 11:30am and left about an hour later.

Earlier in the day, children from creches in and around Johannesburg sang and prayed for Mandela outside the hospital.

The SA Early Childhood Development Council arranged buses to shuttle the children from five creches to the hospital. Spokesman Teboho Mohapeloa said some of the creches were on the East Rand, in Vosloorus and Kempton Park.

“Our message from the children is: ‘Get better, Tata’,” he said.

Mabel Godmother Phiri, the principal of one of the creches, said Mandela was a strong man.

“We are here to pray for Mandela and to say Mandela: ‘Please stand up. We need you’.”

The children and their teachers sang and danced outside the hospital. Some of them held placards reading: “Madiba we love you”, and “Get well soon”.

Mandela was spending his 45th day in the hospital, where he was admitted on 8 June.

– SAPA