In celebration of Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday this year, youth parliaments will be held across the country, it was announced at the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF) in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Speaking at the announcement was NMCF chief executive Sibongile Mkhabela and the former president's daughter Zinzi Mandela who is a trustee of the fund.

"This platform (the parliament) is created to deepen democracy and encourage our children and young people, Mkhabela said.

"We hope that resolutions from these forums will not only strengthen and influence our pragmatic and developmental work but will also inform and influence government's policy."

She said the parliaments — which would take place in all nine provinces — would also include children from Southern African countries including Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.

Children from all backgrounds would be included in the SA parliaments which kick off in Gauteng on 20 May and end in KwaZulu-Natal on 5 June.

The Sadc region parliaments will start in Lesotho on 8 June and end in Botswana on 22 June. The participants' ages range from 12 to 22 years-old.

"The parliament was instituted so that we are able to listen to the children, you cannot do anything without hearing about what children want," Zinzi said.

Attacks in Alexandra

Mkhabela also said a plan would be put into place to help refugee children who may be suffering as a result of the recent xenophobic attacks which broke out in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, recently.

"We are going to do something about the children in that area ... they are also our children," Mkhabela said.

She said that "good news" about the youth should also be exposed by the media, as opposed to "negative news".

"We cannot bring up a generation that has hope if you keep pushing negative images down their throat."

Asked how Mandela was feeling as he approached 90, his daughter Zinzi replied: "He believes that he is younger than 90; it is very important to him, in his sunset years, that his legacy is upheld ."

Mandela turns 90 on 18 July.

Sapa