Former South African president Nelson Mandela celebrated his 86th birthday with his family, including his estranged ex-wife Winnie, at his Eastern Cape home as tributes poured in for "the icon of his age" on Sunday.

Mandela cut his birthday cake with both Winnie and his current wife Graca Machel at his side during a party held at his home in the village of Qunu, where he was born in the Transkei region.

The hero of the apartheid struggle was married to Winnie from 1958 to their separation in 1992, although he spent 27 of those years in prison. The couple had two daughters.

He went on to marry Machel, widow of former Mozambican president Samora Machel, in 1998. Mandela has four living childrenfrom his two previous marriages and more than 40 grandchildren andgreat-grandchildren.

While Mandela kept his birthday party low-key, in contrast to last year's gala bash for his 85th, there was no shortage of tributes, events and greetings in honor of the man who is creditedfor peacefully leading his country from white-minority rule to democracy.

According to the South African Press Association, President Thabo Mbeki led a chorus of birthday wishes to Mandela, describinghis predecessor from 1994 to 1999 as "an icon of his age."

Mbeki expressed gratitude for his "selfless service," adding, "The world has not the honors at its disposal to fully salute his life's work."

There were also laudatory wishes from the governing African National Congress, the former liberation movement turned politicalparty, to "our beloved former president and world-acclaimed icon of our liberation struggle."

It noted that Mandela played a key role in South Africa's successful campaign to win the right to host the 2010 World Cup, the sports world's biggest event and a multi-billion dollar boon for the economy.

"You continue to stride the world stage like a colossus," it said.

Mandela announced last month that he was scaling back his public schedule to spend time with his family and write the secondvolume of his autobiography.

But he returned to the limelight during last week's International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, urging leaders to step up action against the pandemic, which affects one in nine South Africans.

"There could be no better birthday gift than knowing that thereis renewed commitment from leaders in every sector of society to take real and urgent action against AIDS," Mandela said.

In his birthday message to Mandela, the leader of the Zulu-dominated Inkatha Freedom Party, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, whose son died of AIDS in April, praised Mandela for his commitment to the battle against AIDS.

"We all deeply appreciate all that he continues to do on behalfof our nation," he said.

In Johannesburg, thousands of runners took part in an annual race held on his birthday, which takes participants across the Nelson Mandela Bridge, inaugurated last year.

Source: Xinhua