Today is Nelson Mandela's birthday and he is spending this 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, was admitted in 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. The celebration kicked off with millions of school children across South Africa singing Happy Birthday to Mr Mandela. To mark the former statesman's 67 years as a lawyer, activist, prisoner and president, volunteers will spend 67 minutes renovating schools and orphanages, cleaning hospitals and distributing food to the poor. Happy Birthday To Him!
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