Accompanied by his wife, Graca Machel, a smiling Mandela walked into his private lounge in the large home he built in Qunu, then sat in his favourite yellow armchair and addressed a small gathering of reporters. His message was simple — the wealthy must do more.

“There are many people in South Africa who are rich and who can share those riches with those not so fortunate who have not been able to conquer poverty,” Mandela said.

Mandela said he was fortunate to have reached 90, but in the countryside and in the towns “poverty has gripped our people.

“If you are poor, you are not likely to live long,” he noted.

At one point, a granddaughter brought in a bowl of flowers and gave Mandela a birthday kiss. He was asked if he wished he had had more time with his family during a life spent fighting apartheid and then leading South Africa as its first black president.

“I am sure for many people that is their wish,” he said. “I also have that wish that I spent more time (with my family). But I don’t regret it.”

Mandela was imprisoned for nearly three decades for his fight against apartheid.

He was released in 1990 to lead negotiations that ended decades of racist white rule. He was elected president in South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. After serving one five year term, he devoted himself to campaigning against poverty, illiteracy and AIDS in Africa. But he has been slowed by age in recent years, cutting back on public appearances and spending more time with his family. He often spends holidays and his birthdays in Qunu. Wearing one of his signature patterned shirts, in shades of green, gold and black, he glanced pensively out a window at the start of the interview.

“This is my property. When I am here, I feel I own something,” he said. Soon after the interview, seven or eight grandchildren crowded around Mandela’s chair, sang “Happy Birthday” and kissed him. His legs were propped up on a large stool and covered with a pale yellow blanket. A pile of newspapers sat next to his chair.

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