South African officials say former president Nelson Mandela will spend Christmas in a hospital.

The office of the presidency issued a statement confirming his doctors' decision on Monday.

The 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon was admitted to a Pretoria hospital on December 8. He underwent surgery to remove gallstones on Saturday, a few days after doctors treated a lung problem.

Mr. Mandela, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, became South Africa's first black president in 1994 after spending 27 years in prison for his opposition to apartheid.

He has grown frail and has made few public appearances in recent years.