South Africa’s first black President and the nation’s greatest statesman and icon, Nelson Mandela on Friday on his 90th birthday in a recorded message asked the people of the country to remember the less fortunate. In his special birthday message, Mandela said he knows that people would be expressing their best wishes “for a retired old man” but he want people to remember his three legacy organizations - Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and the Mandela-Rhodes Foundation - that are continuing his work.

Mandela, who is celebrating his birthday with family and friends at his ancestral village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape Province of the country, recorded the message in the backdrop of the messages of goodwill continuously pouring in from all over the world and South Africa. Calling on the nation to uphold moral values and discipline as demonstrated by Nelson Mandela throughout his struggle for South Africa’s liberation, President Thabo Mbeki in his message expressed gratitude to Mandela for steering the nation through its most turbulent times to a stable, free and a non-racial society. ANC president, Jacob Zuma described Mandela as an astute leader and the most charismatic President that their party has ever had. “He is a kind of man, who is not afraid to debate and very powerful to persuade. A father figure in the true sense, a leader who was not afraid to lead, one man who loved the ANC in a manner that we have never seen before. We owe a lot to Madiba,” said Zuma.

F W de Klerk, last white president of South Africa, in his special message said that it was a great pleasure for him to congratulate Nelson Mandela on his 90th birthday. “He is the most famous South African who has ever lived and is universally regarded as one of the greatest figures of the 20th century”, Klerk said, adding, he was born to be a leader. He achieved his present status through the wisdom, introspection and knowledge of his fellow men that he acquired during the hardship of 27 long years of imprisonment,” he said, describing the attributes of the black leader. Terming his current relationships with Mandela as a friend, Klerk candidly said, “Now he and I are both retired from active politics - and I am honored to be able to call him my friend."