Nelson Mandela interrupts 90th birthday celebrations to make plea for poor

13 April 2012

Nelson Mandela celebrated his 90th birthday quietly today at his home in rural South Africa — but found time to speak out on behalf of the poor.



The anti-apartheid figurehead called on the rich to share 'with those not so fortunate who have not been able to conquer poverty'.

Mr Mandela said he was fortunate to have reached 90, but in the countryside and in the towns 'poverty has gripped our people. If you are poor, you are not likely to live long,'  he said.

As birthday greetings from admirers ranging from politicians to pop stars poured in, Mr Mandela enjoyed a quiet day at home in the south-eastern village of Qunu with his family as the entire community celebrated.

Happy birthday: Nelson Mandela is surrounded by his grandchildren for relatively low-key celebrations at home

Happy birthday: Nelson Mandela is surrounded by his grandchildren for relatively low-key celebrations at home

Gardeners mowed the lawn outside the tiny museum honouring the man who spent nearly three decades in prison for his fight against apartheid, and workmen laid new tarmac on the road outside his house.

At the village school, a choir rehearsed a song created especially for him.

'We are very excited,' head teacher Mpondomise Ndzambo said,  sitting beneath a photograph of the former president.

'Usually these celebrations are done in Johannesburg, so this is a way of being part of it.”

Mr Mandela’s birthday was marked around the world. In London, fans gathered next to his statue in Parliament Square to hold up coloured birthday cards to create a giant South African flag.

Tens of thousands of politicians, musicians, sporting heroes and ordinary fans of Mr Mandela -referred to affectionately in South Africa by his clan name Madiba - posted birthday wishes on a special website.

Gordon Brown wrote: 'Nelson Mandela is a leader no prison cell, no intimidation, no threat could silence,'  while Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar declared: 'We love you in Spain, Mr Mandela.'

Celebration: Members of the Nciyo tribe sing as they visit Mandela in Qunu

Celebration: Members of the Nciyo tribe sing as they visit Mandela in Qunu

Mr Mandela was asked if he wished he had had more time with his family during a life spent fighting apartheid and then as South Africa’s first black president.’

I am sure for many people that is their wish,’ he said. ‘I also have that wish that I spent more time (with my family). But I don’t regret it.’

As he spoke, cars and catering vans shuttled in and out, and a large tent was erected behind the house.

But despite establishing his status as a world hero - with world leaders and pop stars queuing up to be photographed with him - for decades he was also considered a dangerous terrorist.

Joy: Qunu schoolchildren hold a newspaper with a picture of Mandela

Joy: Qunu schoolchildren hold a newspaper with a picture of Mandela

He spent 27 years in jail for his role leading the campaign against Apartheid in South Africa before being elected his country's president in 1994.

Mr Mandela officially retired from politics nine years ago, but despite his age and ill health he has continued to campaign around the globe for peace and an end to poverty.

Even last month's concert in London to celebrate his 90th birthday was organised to raise money for his 46664 Aids awareness charity.


Freedom fighter: Mandela gives the Black Power salute to a crowd of 120,000 at Soccer City Stadium in Soweto following his release from prison February 1990

Freedom fighter: Mandela gives the Black Power salute to a crowd of 120,000 at Soccer City Stadium in Soweto following his release from prison February 1990

The event in Hyde Park also marked the 20th anniversary of the Free Mandela concert at Wembley Stadium in June 1988, which reached a worldwide TV audience of 600 million.

At that time, Mr Mandela - who describes music as one of his great loves - was about to turn 70 and had been in prison for 25 years.

But just two years later a ban on his party, the African National Congress (ANC), was lifted and he was freed amid jubilant scenes.

The future president was born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18, 1918 in a village near Umtata in South Africa's eastern Transkei region.

At school he was given the name Nelson - after Horatio Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar - apparently because one of his teachers could not pronounce his African name.


Free at last: Mandela and ex-wife Winnie during his 'Welcome Home Rally'

His father died when he was nine, leaving him to the care of the acting regent of the Thembu people.

Mr Mandela did not become fully involved in politics until he joined the ANC in 1943, first as an activist and then as founder and president of the ANC Youth League.

His life was transformed when the Afrikaner-dominated National Party introduced the Apartheid policy of racial segregation to South Africa in 1948.

In 1952 he opened a law practice in Johannesburg with his friend, Oliver Tambo, and the pair began campaigning against the oppression of the black majority.

Along with 155 other activists, Mr Mandela was charged with high treason in 1956 but the charges against him were dropped after a four-year trial.

Resistance to Apartheid grew with the introduction of new "pass laws" dictating where blacks were allowed to live and work.

Hard time: Mandela and former US president Bill Clinton looking out the jail cell window, where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years as a political prisioner

Hard time: Mandela and former US president Bill Clinton looking out the jail cell window, where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years as a political prisioner

Tensions with the government hit new heights after 69 black people were shot dead by police in the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, and the ANC was outlawed as a result.

Mr Mandela, by now national vice-president of the ANC, launched a sabotage campaign against the economy for which he was eventually arrested.

He defended himself in court against charges of sabotage and attempting to violently overthrow the government, but was sentenced to life in prison in 1964.

Mr Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island, off the coast near Cape Town, for 18 years before being transferred to the mainland in 1982.

In February 1985 then-president PW Botha offered him conditional release in return for renouncing armed struggle, but he rejected the offer.

Mr Mandela said at the time: 'What freedom am I being offered while the organisation of the people remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts.'

It was another five years before Mr Botha's replacement as president, FW de Klerk, lifted the ban on the ANC and released Mr Mandela.

Praise: Former South African President FW de Klerk seen through a camera screen as he delivers a birthday message to Mandela this morning

Praise: Former South African President FW de Klerk seen through a camera screen as he delivers a birthday message to Mandela this morning

In December 1993 Mr De Klerk and Mr Mandela were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and then five months later South Africa's first multiracial democratic elections were held.

The ANC won 252 of the 400 seats in the National Assembly and Mr Mandela, as its leader, was elected president at the age of 77.

Mr Mandela has been married three times and has fathered six children.

His first marriage, to Evelyn Mase, lasted from 1944 to 1957.

In 1958 he wed Winnie Madikizela, who later played an active role in the campaign to free her husband from prison. They divorced in 1996.

Mr Mandela married his third wife, Graca Machel, widow of the former president of Mozambique, on his 80th birthday in 1998.

He stood down as president in 1999 and announced in 2004 that he was retiring from public life to spend more time with his family.

Celebrated: Mandela acknowledges applause as he stands before a Joint Meeting of Congress after his release in 1990

Celebrated: Mandela acknowledges applause as he stands before a Joint Meeting of Congress after his release in 1990

Court case: Mandela leaves the synagogue, being used as a court, in Pretoria, South Africa, at the end of the day's proceedings during the first treason trial

Court case: Mandela leaves the synagogue, being used as a court, in Pretoria, South Africa, at the end of the day's proceedings during the first treason trial

But the veteran statesman has continued to speak out on various issues, including lending his support to the Make Poverty History campaign.

His old age has not been trouble-free: he was treated for prostate cancer in 2001 and in 2005 his eldest son, lawyer Makgatho Mandela, 54, died of Aids-related complications.

After years of controversy a statue in Mr Mandela's honour was erected in Parliament Square in central London last August.

As celebrations take place around the world, South Africa’s first black president will mark the milestone at a private party for 500 guests in his home village.

In London, fans will gather next to Mr Mandela’s statue in Parliament Square to hold up coloured birthday cards to create a giant South African Flag.

Other tributes in the UK include the flying of the South African flag outside Edinburgh, Bristol and Plymouth council buildings.

Honoured: South African youngsters form a portrait of Nelson Mandela to send a message to the world for his 90th birthday

Honoured: South African youngsters form a portrait of Nelson Mandela to send a message to the world for his 90th birthday

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