PRETORIA - US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will meet on Saturday with members of the family of South Africa's anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela who is critically ill in hospital, the White House said.

"Out of deference to Nelson Mandela's peace and comfort and the family's wishes, they will not be visiting the hospital," the White House added in a statement.

An image of U.S. President Barack Obama (front C) is displayed among messages of support for ailing former South African President Nelson Mandela as a man casts a shadow outside the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital, where Mandela is being treated, in Pretoria June 29, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]