Former Springbok hooker Naka Drotské is expected to be moved out of the intensive care unit at Mediclinic Bloemfontein on Thursday.
Mediclinic general manager Carl Bührmann said there was constant improvement in Drotské's condition.
Bührmann said he is no longer ventilated and would be moved to a general ward.
This was "all good news", said Bührmann.
"We anticipate that he will still be in hospital till the new year," he added.
Drotské spoke to his family for the first time over Christmas since he was admitted.
The former coach of Super Rugby side the Cheetahs suffered a setback while recovering from being shot three times during a robbery on November 29 at his brother Tinus’s smallholding in Kameeldrift, Pretoria.
Drotské played 26 Tests between 1993 and 1999. He played one game during the 1995 World Cup in SA.
