Family calls meeting as Mandela lies critically ill in hospital

QUNU, South Africa, June 25 (UPI) -- Close relatives of Nelson Mandela gathered at his South African home in Qunu Tuesday following an urgent call from his children, a family elder said.

Napilisi Mandela said relatives along with chiefs of the Abathembu royal family were to hold a meeting to discuss what he termed delicate matters pertaining to the critically ill former South African president, Independent Online reported.

Napilisi Mandela usually presides over the family's meetings and rituals.

There has been no update on 94-year-old Mandela since Sunday when it was reported his health had deteriorated and that he was in critical condition at a Pretoria hospital, South African Broadcasting Corporation said.

In the Xhosa culture a family meeting takes place when a member is critically ill.