Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela Before Prison

“If I cannot change when circumstances demand it how can I expect others to.” Nelson
Mandela 1995.

Quite possibly the greatest man in South African history, Nelson Rolihlanhla Dalibhunga
Mandela was born in Mveso, a little village in the Transkei near Mthatha in the Eastern
Cape. His father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was chief of the village but was stripped
of his title after having an argument with the British magistrate. So Nelson moved
to Qunu, where he has a house by the highway which he helped build. He lives their
currently and plans to be buried there, in the family graveyard, amongst other family
members of his who have passed away over the years.

Madiba (Mandela’s Xhosa clan name), as he is affectionately known throughout South
Africa today, was the first of his family to attend school, at the Methodist missionary
school. His schooling continued to the Clarkebury school and then on to Healdtown High
School where he matriculated. After matriculating he began a Bachelor of Arts Degree at
the University at Fort Hare. Here he met his lifelong friend and colleague Oliver Tambo.
After his first year of studies Mandela was thrown out of Fort Hare for his involvement in
a student protest.

Shortly after leaving Fort Hare, Mandela was informed by his clan that he was to have
an arranged marriage. Unhappy with this predicament he moved to Johannesburg, where
he worked for a short time as a guard at a mine. Later he got a job as an articled clerk
at law firm Witkin, Sidelsky and Edelman through close friend Walter Sisulu. Here he
completed a BA Degree via correspondence and then got a Law Degree through the
University of Witwatersrand.

In 1944 Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) and helped found the
ANC Youth League with Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu. In 1947 Mandela became
secretary of the Youth League. In 1948 after The National Party came to power and
adopted its Apartheid philosophy, Mandela became very active politically. He played
vital roles in the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People adoption
of the Freedom Charter. In 1956 he was charged along with others of treason, but after a
five year trial, all accused were acquitted. After the 1960 Sharpville massacre the ANC
abandoned its stance of peaceful resistance. Many protests followed, which led to the
banning of the ANC and Mandela went underground with the party. In 1961 Mandela
became the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the ANC and due to his
affiliation and subsequent actions for them, was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to life
imprisonment in what was dubbed the Rivonia Trial.

Nelson Mandela: After Prison

18 of Mandela’s 27 years in prison, were spent on Robben Island, the most famous of
all Apartheid prisons. In 1990 President FW De Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC and
announced that he would be releasing Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners
shortly. On February 11 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison
in an event broadcast live all over the world. In March Mandela was elected Deputy
President of the ANC. His biggest task in this time was to begin repairing the massive
chasms created by apartheid between the many different races in South Africa. On July
7th 1991, the ANC held there first national conference since the party had been banned
in 1960, and Nelson Mandela was elected as President of the ANC, along with Walter
Sisulu as his deputy and Oliver Tambo as the organizations national chairperson.

In 1993 Nelson Mandela was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with FW De
Klerk for his part played in the peaceful end to the Apartheid regime and the start of
a new and democratic South Africa. In April 1994 the ANC wins South Africa’s first
all-race elections by securing 63% of the vote. On the 9th of May 1994 the National
Assembly unanimously elects Nelson Mandela to become the first Democratic President
of South Africa. Over the next five years Nelson Mandela led South Africa from a very
precarious post apartheid position, to a hugely diverse and racially accepted country that
continues to grow stronger to this day. He led the country with distinction and although
he had the opportunity to lead the country for a second term, decided to step aside to let
the younger generation take over.

Nelson Mandela, although out of the political limelight, continues through various
organisations to make South Africa a better place for all. It is only fitting that this great
man lived to see South Africa as he envisioned when he spoke at the start of The Rivonia
Trial in 1962:

“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have
fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have
cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together
in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to
achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Related External Links

• Nelson Mandela Bay

  More information from the Nelson Mandela Bay government.

• More Or Less

  Find out more on More Or Less.

• Nelson Mandela on Wikipedia

  Find out more on Wikipedia.

• The Nelson Mandela Story

  Find out more on Mandela.tv.