"He is in a permanent vegetative state and is assisted in breathing by a life support machine," said a legal filing related to a family dispute over reburying the remains of three of Mandela's children.
"The Mandela family have been advised by the medical practitioners that his life support machine should be switched off.
"Rather than prolonging his suffering, the Mandela family is exploring this option as a very real probability."
Since the document was written, the government, family members and people visiting Mandela have reported his condition has improved.
"He is clearly a very ill man, but he was conscious and he tried to move his mouth and eyes when I talked to him," Denis Goldberg, one of the men who was convicted with Mandela, told AFP after visiting him on Monday.
The document was presented to South Africa's Eastern Cape High Court as President Jacob Zuma reported that Mandela's health had faltered and canceled a trip to Mozambique.
The next day Zuma reported that Mandela's condition had "improved during the course of the night".
"He is much better today than he was when I saw him last night. The medical team continues to do a sterling job," Zuma said in a statement dated June 27.
Since then the government has said Mandela's condition remains "critical but stable", but has provided few details, citing patient confidentiality.
Mandela's wife earlier Thursday said that while occasionally Mandela has been uncomfortable during his nearly one month hospital stay, he has seldom been in pain.
"Now we are about 25 days we have been in hospital," Machel said, giving thanks for the outpouring of well wishes from around the world for the Nobel peace laureate.
"Although Madiba sometimes may be uncomfortable, very few times he is in pain," she said.
The former president, who turns 95 later this month, was rushed to hospital on June 8 with a recurring lung infection.
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