Iconic statesman Nelson Mandela has been in a more critical condition than the world is made to believe, it has been revealed. He has not opened his eyes for days, and the ambulance conveying the great man to the hospital two weeks ago broke down and was not replaced until after more than 40 minutes, according a Daily Mail report his morning.

The 94-year-old former South African President has been in hospital for two weeks battling a recurring lung infection, with his family and South African authorities claiming that his health has been improving.

A reliable source has however disclosed that his liver and kidney functions are down to 50 per cent and that he has not opened his eyes for days.

“He has also had two recent procedures, one to repair a bleeding ulcer and another to insert a tube into his body,” said Daily Mail quoting CBS News reports.

According to CBS News, Mandela went into cardiac arrest the night he was taken to Pretoria Hospital and had to be resuscitated. It said that as he was driven to the hospital the ambulance suffered an engine failure and was forced to wait for over 40 minutes for a replacement.

When the second ambulance arrived Mr. Mandela had to be transferred – in winter temperatures – to a second vehicle which could have had an impact on his condition, according to a cardiologist interviewed by CBS.

South African authorities have however reacted angrily to the latest reports. This morning, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) quoted Presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj as questioning the ethics of the latest reports.

“You get authoritative reports based on reports we get from doctors, other reports are treading on areas that raise issues of medical ethics, privacy and human dignity. Madiba has been a person who fought for human dignity, we are appealing that matters of clinical detail that enter the area of medical ethics should be avoided,” Maharaj said.

While acknowledging that the ambulance Madiba was taken to hospital, 14 days ago, did break down on the way there, Maharaj insisted that all care was taken to ensure that the anti-apartheid veteran’s health was not compromised.

His words: “When the ambulance experienced engine problems it was decided that it was best to transfer to another military ambulance which was itself accompanied for the rest of the journey by civilian ambulance. All care was taken to ensure that president Mandela’s medical condition was not compromised by this unforeseen incident. Doctors attending are satisfied that the former president suffered no harm during this period.”

•Photo shows ailing Mandela.