Nelson Mandela. (AFP)
The 95-year-old has been in a Pretoria hospital for two months for treatment of a recurrent lung infection. The government said late last month his condition remained critical but was showing improvement.
Zindzi Mandela told SABC on Friday her father was becoming increasingly alert.
"He's fine. Tata now manages to sit up, like now he sits up in a chair for a few minutes in a day, every day you know he becomes more alert and responsive. Tata is determined not to go anywhere anytime soon, I cannot stress this enough," she said, referring to him by the Xhosa word for father.
"He just doesn't have the strength of a man, he has the strength that is beyond anything that can be explained. Because even now with the challenges to his health, he somehow manages to bounce back when everyone assumes this is the end." – Reuters