At the Balalaika Hotel in Johannesburg South Africans were watching and waiting for news of Nelson Mandela.br br Word that the 94-year-old former president is in a critical condition in hospital has saddened the nation.br br (SOUNDBITE)(English) TSEPHA LANGA, HOTEL BAR CUSTOMER, SAYING:br br "He is absolutely an icon and if he's gone we just have to accept that he will be gone but his teachings, what he stood for, we all - I'm sure - we have all learned, we should be able to live with it and reproduce it wherever we go."br br (SOUNDBITE)(English) LORENE, HOTEL NIGHT DUTY MANAGER, SAYING:br br "I wish him all the best but I think he's lived a fulfilled life and I think it's good that South Africans look up to him and yes, I think it's a sad moment for South Africans as well.br br Word of Mandela's worsening condition emerged in a government statement on Sundaybr br He was rushed to hospital on June 8 when a lung infection flared up again.