SOUTH AFRICA 18 July 2008 Former South African president Nelson Mandela celebrates 90th birthday with Spice Girls

Former South African president Nelson Mandela can count on as much of a 90th birthday party as his health can stand. Though in reasonable health, the Nobel Peace laureate and a leader of both the armed and political struggles against apartheid is noticably frail and walks with a cane.
His present from the United States was being removed in July from its terrorist watch list.

That means that the former South African president can visit America without the secretary of state having to certify that the justly celebrated freedom fighter is not a terrorist. The bill clearing his name was signed by President Bush Tuesday. Events celebrating the milestone included a concert in London in June to raise funds for his AIDS charity. 

The finale of all his recent birthdays has been his party in Johannesburg for children, which he describes as his favorite part of the festivities.

For the 89th birthday, Mandela announced the formation of a group of Elders, an initiative of British entrepreneur Richard Branson and British musician Peter Gabriel, as a "robust force for good." The Elders plan to dedicate theselves to dealing with challenges that range from climate change and global pandemics such as AIDS and malaria to "that entirely human-created affliction, violent conflict." The group includes former United States president Jimmy Carter, the former UN secretary general Kofi Annan and the former archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu -- all Nobel peace laureates. The former Irish president Mary Robinson and philanthropist Muhammad Yunus are among others expected to be invited to join. Mandela said the Elders will tackle global crises that governments are unable or unwilling to confront. They could prove effective in "working objectively and without any personal or vested interest" in dealing with seemingly intractable problems where others fail because of "political, economic and geographic constraints."

Members of the Elders declined to be drawn on what their first initiatives might be but a source close to the group said that Zimbabwe is an early target for behind-the-scenes diplomacy and that there had already been contacts on the issue.

Mandela was born at Qunu in Transkei on 18 Jul 1918, and is present home is there. He was imprisoned for 27 years for his anti-apartheid activism and became South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994.

Mandela's 89th birthday was also marked in Cape Town with a football match between a team of some of the world's legendary players, including Pele.

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Nelson Mandela launches Elders to save the world (Telegraph 19 Jul 2007)