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Members of the South African Army parade to wish a happy birthday to former South African President Nelson Mandela on July 18, 2013 outside the Medi Clinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria. Mandela’s health is ‘steadily improving’, South Africa’s presidency said on July 18 as the anti-apartheid legend began spending his 95th birthday in hospital. Children in schools around the country kicked off the celebrations by singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Mandela, on a day that also marked the 15th anniversary of his marriage to third wife Graca Machel.The United Nations declared the Nobel Peace laureate’s birthday Mandela Day in 2010, but for many this year it takes on extra poignancy.