PRETORIA - Nelson Mandela started recovering from a serious condition of lung infection on his fifth day at a Pretoria hospital, one of his family members said on Wednesday.

Mandla Mandela, the Nobel laureate's grandson released the good news in a statement on Wednesday afternoon minutes after President Jacob Zuma made a speech beginning with "Madiba (the clan name of Mandela) is responding better to treatment from this morning."

According to Mandla's statement, he and many other family members visited the ailing nation-father, and the family expressed their appreciation and gratitude to millions of prayers who gave their well-wishes.

The African Union (AU) chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said she has heard that Mandela is "responding positively to treatment".

Local media City Press said that those "bad time is over" and comments should alleviate some fears that the national hero was not doing well in hospital.