Muted 88th birthday marks Mandela's twilight

JOHANNESBURG, July 17: Nelson Mandela, whose calls for political justice and racial reconciliation once shook the world, is a fading presence.

South Africa's anti-apartheid icon prepares for his 88th birthday tomorrow deep in his twilight years, an elderly pensioner whose private life at long last takes precedence over his public image.

''He is trying very hard to enjoy retirement but it's not easy.

We are still inundated with requests for his time,'' said Mandela's spokeswoman, Zelda La Grange.

''At the age of 88 he is doing exceptionally well, health wise.

However, there is less time for work and a bigger need for more time to attend to his health.'' Officials at the Nelson Mandela Foundation say Mandela still goes to his office each week, and he frequently meets visiting dignitaries -- who often end up donating to his favourite causes, which include children, education and Africa's battle against HIV/AIDS.

But it is clear that Mandela, who stepped down as president in 1999, is now truly retired, his once hectic schedule pared to a minimum and public appearances rare.

Few in South Africa begrudge Mandela his peace and quiet.

The Nobel Peace laureate, whose long battle against apartheid saw him jailed for 27 years before 1994 all-race elections made him South Africa's first black president, remains beloved as the grandfather of the nation and one of the few moral beacons with genuine worldwide reach.

But his role as a unifying figure in a deeply divided society remains important -- and it is here that Mandela's absence is beginning to be felt.

''Mandela represented a struggle that was beyond self-interest. The present generation cannot be compared to Mandela's ... they are the new Mandarins, and materialism and self-interest have taken over,'' said Sipho Seepe, a political scientist and frequent government critic.

RAINBOW'S END? Mandela's successor as president, Thabo Mbeki, has shown little interest in the upbeat ''Rainbow Nation'' imagery that was Mandela's trademark, preferring instead to deliver stern pronouncements on South Africa's battles over race, poverty and political power. Under Mbeki, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has hit some of the most serious turbulence of its 94-year history amid deep factional divisions over both political direction and the question of presidential succession.

South Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic, which infects one in nine of the country's 45 million people, sows despair while poverty and joblessness keep huge swathes of the black population locked in desperate lives in ramshackle townships.

Despite its problems, modern South Africa remains a creation of Mandela and his generation, its Constitution admired as among the most progressive in the world and its political discourse rooted in the language of justice and human rights that marked the long anti-apartheid struggle.

Meanwhile, as its namesake ages, the Mandela foundation is boosting activities to promote the ''Mandela message'' -- holding exhibits, publishing books and convening seminars to illuminate his lessons on opposing racism and building political consensus.

La Grange said the country will be seeing even less of Mandela in the future -- leaving it for better or worse to find its own way to honour his legacy.

REUTERS