Desmond Tutu's granddaughter's plea for the nation: All we can do now is pray

As South Africa breathes a collective sigh of relief over news that former Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has been discharged from hospital, his granddaughter has pleaded with the nation to continue praying for him.

Speaking to TMG Entertainment at an event on Wednesday night, former Skeem Saam actress Natasha Thahane said that she had recently visited her ill grandfather and hopes to return to celebrate his birthday with the rest of his family on October 7.

Natasha looked sombre as she opened up about his ill health.

"At this point, all we can do now is pray," she said. "All we need is prayers, honestly. We need people to pray for him."

Natasha went on to thank South Africans for their overwhelming support and said it has sustained them as a family.

"The support from everyone has been great and has really helped us."

Natasha's words come as Tutu continues his lengthy battle with a stubborn infection that has seen him in and out of hospital for the last few months.

According to a family spokesperson, Tutu was discharged from hospital on Wednesday morning to continue his recovery at home. The family had said, earlier in the week, that he was healing well and that ''doctors are very pleased with his progress".

Tutu has had to battle not only illness in recent weeks, but also false reports of his death.

His family have hit back at these reports, calling them "distressing" and “incredibly unkind".

"It's very distressing to hear that kind of news over Twitter‚ and particularly for family members to receive that kind of news over social media. It's not the way that that news would be conveyed‚" said Tutu's daughter, Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu van Furth.