News / Africa
Madiba spends 95th birthday in hospital
18 Jul 2013 at 03:20hrs | Views
Nelson Mandela is set to spend his 95th birthday in hospital in Pretoria, as events take place around the world and in South Africa in his honour.
South Africans are being urged to match the former president and anti-apartheid leader's 67 years of public service with 67 minutes of charitable acts.
Mr Mandela, who is in critical but stable condition with a recurring lung infection, entered hospital on 8 June.
His daughter Zindzi said on Wednesday that he had made "dramatic progress".
"I should think he will be going home anytime soon," she told UK Sky TV.
Mr Mandela's birthday is also Nelson Mandela International Day, a day declared by the UN as a way to recognise the Nobel Prize winner's contribution to reconciliation.
The former statesman is revered across the world for his role in ending apartheid in South Africa. He went on to become the first black president in the country's first all-race elections in 1994.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) said that on this Mandela Day homage was being paid to 95 years of "life well-lived", dedicated to the liberation of South Africans and people all over the world.
Poster project
The day kicks off with millions of school children across South Africa singing Happy Birthday to Mr Mandela.
President Zuma plans to mark the occasion by overseeing the donation of houses to poor white families in the Pretoria area.
South Africans are being urged to match the former president and anti-apartheid leader's 67 years of public service with 67 minutes of charitable acts.
Mr Mandela, who is in critical but stable condition with a recurring lung infection, entered hospital on 8 June.
His daughter Zindzi said on Wednesday that he had made "dramatic progress".
"I should think he will be going home anytime soon," she told UK Sky TV.
The former statesman is revered across the world for his role in ending apartheid in South Africa. He went on to become the first black president in the country's first all-race elections in 1994.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) said that on this Mandela Day homage was being paid to 95 years of "life well-lived", dedicated to the liberation of South Africans and people all over the world.
Poster project
The day kicks off with millions of school children across South Africa singing Happy Birthday to Mr Mandela.
President Zuma plans to mark the occasion by overseeing the donation of houses to poor white families in the Pretoria area.
Source - BBC
