South Africa has begun celebrations in honor of Nelson Mandela's 87th birthday.

A torch, first lit in Mandela's former prison cell on Robben Island, will be carried across South Africa in an effort to raise awareness about HIV-Aids.

The former president will spend his birthday at his family home at Qunu in Eastern Cape province, hosting a party for orphaned and vulnerable children.

The torch will be carried from Robben Island, near Cape Town, to Johannesburg where it will be used to light candles on a birthday cake for Mandela at Ellis Park Stadium on Saturday.