JOHANNESBURG, July 18, 2008 (AFP) - Tributes flooded in Friday from home and abroad as former South African president Nelson Mandela turned 90. Here is a collection of some of the messages:

'We cannot but pay tribute to the gods who bequeathed to our nation and the world so outstanding an embodiment of what human beings should be, in themselves and to others' -- South African President Thabo Mbeki.

'Your determination to forge unity and peace in our country and your commitment to building a nation that is united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic is the legacy you will leave for us to build on' -- Jacob Zuma, leader of the ruling African National Congress and likely next president.

'After his inauguration (in 1994), Nelson Mandela used his personal charm to promote reconciliation and to mould our widely diverse communities in an emerging multicultural nation. This, I believe, will be seen as his greatest legacy' -- South Africa's last apartheid era president F.W. de Klerk.

'Throughout his life, Mandela has reflected the qualities of rare leadership. He demonstrated the capacity to see beyond the present situation, with its pressures and competing vested interests, and take bold decisions in the interests of future generations' -- Hele Zille, leader of the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's main opposition party.

'He is the father of the nation, an icon of all that is good about our country, and I would like to thank him on behalf of the team for the sustained support he gives the Springboks every year' -- South African rugby coach Peter de Villiers.

'You have dedicated your lifetime to the promotion of human rights and democracy and you have led the endless fight for freedom ... for all mankind' -- Sepp Blatter, president of football's world governing body FIFA.

'For millions of people on the planet you became a symbol of resistance to racism and apartheid, a living legend who made a decisive contribution in the establishment of a democratic South Africa and greatly influenced the social and political development of the entire African continent' -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev

'Nelson Mandela is a leader no prison cell, no intimidation, no threat could silence. A man who's belief in the future was so powerful that not even 27 years behind bars and barbed wire could destroy his dream that millions could be free' -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

'Through your own personal example and your ceaseless struggle in defence of human dignity, you have indelibly shown current and future generations the path we must take' -- Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.