Family members of Nelson Mandela including ex-wife Winnie are gathering at the bedside of the former South African leader as he spends his fourth consecutive day in hospital. The former president, who will be 95 next month, remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital in Pretoria where he was taken on Saturday after experiencing breathing difficulties. Winnie Mandela, 76, who was married to Mr Mandela for almost 40 years between 1957 and 1996, spent around an hour at her ex-husband's bedside in Pretoria yesterday afternoon. One of their daughters Zindziwa, 52, has also visited him in intensive care. She told the South African Guardian: 'I’ve seen my father and he’s well. He’s a fighter.' Their other daughter Zenani, 53, has flown home from Argentina, where she is South Africa’s ambassador, to be at his bedside along with his third wife Graca Machel and other family members. Mr Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, who accompanied him to hospital on Saturday, cancelled a scheduled appearance in London so she could stay with her husband. Yesterday the family of the iconic former leader denied barring government officials and high-ranking members of the ANC from his bedside, a government spokesman said. 'We have spoken to the family about this report and they deny that they issued such an instruction or spoke to the media on barring the ANC and government from visiting Madiba,' said spokesperson Jackson Mthembu in a statement. 'What we know is that given the pressure associated with the admission of president Mandela, there are general restrictions that permit only relevant people to have access.' Yesterday a foundation led by retired archbishop Desmond Tutu described the 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero as an 'extraordinary gift' to South Africa. A statement issued for the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation described Mr Mandela as 'the beloved father of our nation' and offered prayers for a man seen by many around the world as a symbol of reconciliation because of his peacemaking role when white racist rule ended in South Africa. Mr Mandela 'once again endures the ravages of time in hospital,' said the Cape Town-based foundation, which was founded by Mr Tutu and his wife Leah to promote peace. 'We offer our thanks to God for the extraordinary gift of Mr Mandela, and wish his family strength.' Mr Tutu, 81, was also a vigorous campaigner against apartheid, which ended when all-race elections were held in 1994. Like Mr Mandela, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts on behalf of his compatriots. Mr Mandela shared his prize with FW de Klerk, the last president of the apartheid era. 'We send our blessings to the doctors and nurses responsible for his care,' the foundation said. Meanwhile, the African National Congress, South Africa's ruling party, dismissed as false a report in yesterday's edition of The Star newspaper that Mr Mandela's family had barred senior party leaders and government officials from visiting the hospital. On April 29, state television broadcast footage of a visit to Mr Mandela's home by President Jacob Zuma and other ANC leaders. Mr Zuma said then that Mandela was in good shape, but the footage - the first public images of Mr Mandela in nearly a year - showed him silent and unresponsive, even when Mr Zuma tried to hold his hand. Some South Africans said that showing images of a clearly ill Mr Mandela was inappropriate and appeared to reflect an attempt by the ruling party to benefit politically from its association with Mr Mandela. Mr Mandela has been particularly vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during 27 years as the prisoner of the white South African government. The bulk of that period was spent on Robben Island, off the coast of Cape Town where Mandela and other prisoners spent part of the time toiling in a stone quarry. Nelson Mandela and his former wife Winnie walked hand-in-hand following his release from Victor Verster Prison near Cape Town in February 1990 Mandela was freed in 1990 and won election to the presidency in the country's first all-race elections in 1994. He was seen by many around the world as a symbol of resolve and reconciliation for his sacrifice in confinement as well as his peacemaking efforts during the tense transition that saw the demise of the apartheid system. The former leader retired from public life years ago and had received medical care at home in Johannesburg until his latest transfer to a hospital.