Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday celebrated with rigor in South Africa, Obama to lead centenary

In a square in the heart of Johannesburg, hairdressers give free Nelson Mandela-style haircuts to honour the icon of the struggle against apartheid and the first president of democratic South Africa.

His birthday on July 18 is marked annually around the world,and the Nelson Mandela Foundation called this year for people to "take action and inspire change" in Mandela's name.

The event is organised by the Nelson Mandela Foundation in partnership with the Philips shaver brand, as part of the centenary celebrations of the birth of "Madiba" in 1918.

Also, hundreds of bikers on Saturday rode through the South African town of Soweto to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mandela.

As part of the celebrations bikers donated food parcels and kitchen appliances to the Soweto Kliptown Youth centre, which serves as an after school learning centre for the disadvantaged in the community.

"Mandela is a big icon here in South Africa and for his cause, what he died for and what he stood for is very stern for the country. So we are here to push that legacy, so that legacy must live on," biker Woza Lunga told AFP.

South Africa celebrates the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's birth this week with a flagship speech byformer US president Barack Obamaand an outpouring of memories and tributes to the late anti-apartheid leader.

Obama will set the tone for the celebrations with a speech in Johannesburg on July 17 that aides say will be his most important public address since leaving the White House in 2017.

Obama will also host a town hall event on July 18 for 200 young leaders selected from across Africa to attend a five-day training programme.

Mandela, who died in 2013, remains a global icon for his long fight against white-minority rule and for his message of peace and reconciliation when he was released after 27 years in prison.