Johannesburg - The
thought of former president Nelson Mandela being unwell is unsettling, but has
united people, parliamentary deputy speaker Nomaindia Mfeketo said on Friday.
"We have seen
images of people of all colours and creeds, people from all walks of life,
including visitors from other countries, converging at the entrance to the
Pretoria [Medi-Clinic] Heart Hospital to say their prayers, to lay flowers, to
sing, dance, to praise and to shed tears for Madiba," she said.
"We are here to say
a prayer for our father. May God's peace be upon him."
She was speaking at
Parliament's prayer service for Mandela at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town
on Friday.
The anti-apartheid icon
was admitted to hospital on 8 June with a recurring lung infection.
On Thursday, the
presidency said he was still in a critical, but stable condition.
Mfeketo said Mandela was
one of a kind.
"We needed you at
the worst of times in our history. We need you now, we need you for eternity.
May God grant him [Mandela] His favour and his family strength," she said.