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Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela belongs to the Thembu dynasty, which reigns in the Transkei
a territory of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Nelson Mandela was born in Mvezo, a small village located
in the district of Umtata on the 18 July 1918. Nelson Mandela's given first name is Rolihlahla Mandela, which ironically
means "troublemaker". Nelson Mandela's father served as chief of the town of Mvezo. However, he was stripped of
his position after a dispute with the colonial authorities. The family then moved to a nearby town of Qunu.
Unfortunately, Nelson Mandela's father died shortly after the move when Nelson Mandela was only nine years
old and Nelson Mandela was then sent to live with his uncle a paramount chief or regent of the Thembu tribe.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela became the first member of his family to attend a school. On the first day of
school Nelson Mandela's teacher gave him the English name "Nelson". Nelson Mandela attended a Wesleyan
mission school located next to the palace of the regent and later the Wesleyan college in Fort
Beaufort where most of the Thembu royalty attended. The European teachers could not pronounce
or remember the names of the black children and it was common practice throughout South Africa
or colonial Africa, at these private schools or mission stations where they taught to give these
children mainly Christian or common English names. Here Nelson Mandela excelled in academics,
as well as in the sports of athletic and one of his later passions in life, boxing. As with all
Thembu boys, Nelson Mandela had to attend initiation school at the age of sixteen, which is
also still customary amongst the various black ethnic groups in South Africa today. After enrolling at Fort Hare University, Nelson Mandela began to study for a Bachelor of Arts,
it was also here where Nelson Mandela met Oliver Tambo. Tambo and Nelson Mandela became lifelong friends,
colleagues and comrades. Nelson Mandela also became close friends with his kinsman, Kaiser ("K.D.") Matanzima,
who as royal scion of the Thembu Right Hand House and who was in line for the throne of Transkei, a role that
would later lead him to embrace Bantustan policies. His support of these policies placed him and Nelson Mandela
on opposing political sides.
At the end of Nelson Mandela's first year, he became involved in a Students' Representative Council boycott
against university policies, and was told to leave Fort Hare and not return unless Nelson Mandela accepted election
to the SRC. But, there was an even bigger surprise waiting for Nelson Mandela and his cousin when they returned home
for the Christmas holidays at the end of their first year. The uncle announced to Nelson Mandela and his son and
heir to the throne Justice, that he had arranged marriages for both of them, which was customary and still is customary.
These two educated young men were horrified at the idea and ran away to Johannesburg. Nelson Mandela initially
found employment as a guard at a mine and later Nelson Mandela started work as an article clerk at a Johannesburg
law firm "Witkin, Sidelsky and Edelman", through connections with his friend and mentor Walter Sisulu. Nelson
Mandela completed his B.A. degree at the University of South Africa (UNISA) via correspondence whilst working
at "Witkin, Sidelsky and Edelman". Nelson Mandela then began further law studies at the University of
Witwatersrand and its was here where Nelson Mandela befriended fellow students and future anti-apartheid
political activists Joe Slovo, Harry Schwarz and Ruth First.
Nelson Mandela became actively involved in politics after the Afrikaner dominated National
Party won the elections in South Africa in 1948 under the leadership of Malan. The National Party
supported the apartheid or racial segregation. Nelson Mandela was one of the leaders of the African
National Congress's (ANC's) 1952 Defiance Campaign and then the 1955 Congress of the People, when
they adopted the Freedom Charter, which makes up today a large portion of South Africa's constitution.
During this period Nelson Mandela and fellow lawyer Oliver Tambo operated one of the few black only
law firms "Mandela and Tambo" in South Africa, whom were very successful considering all the human
rights issues at that stage in South Africa. Unfortunately, after continuous harassment from the
South African security police they were forced to close their practice in Johannesburg.
Although, Nelson Mandela was originally committed to a non-violence campaign, Nelson Mandela
was arrested with another 160 comrades in December 1955 and charged with treason. The marathon
"Treason Trial" lasted 4 years from 1955-1959 following which they were all acquitted.
Anti-apartheid organizations including the ANC were banned when South Africa became
a Republic on 31 May1961 under the leadership of the National Party. The ANC's then decided
to form an armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe - Spear of the Nation and Nelson Mandela was appointed
commander. The move to an armed struggle was a last resort after years of increasing repression
and violence from the state of South Africa. The ANC felt that the years of non-violent protest
against apartheid had not and could not achieve any progress in South Africa.
The idea was to raise funds abroad and to arrange paramilitary training
of the group. They would recruit young mainly non-white South Africans and train
them in various countries that are still regarded today as terrorist harbouring countries.
They would then infiltrate these comrades, freedom fighters or then they were regarded as
terrorist of the state, across the borders back into South Africa. Once back in South Africa
and under civilian cover, they could carry out their campaigns against military and
government targets, making plans for a possible guerrilla war, if the sabotage failed
to end apartheid in South Africa. This so called war, was known to other South Africans
as the "Border War" from 1969 - 1989, as the South African military felt it was more
effective to protect the borders between South Africa / Namibia and all neighbouring
countries against insurgence than trying to fight urban guerrilla warfare.
In 1962 Nelson Mandela was arrested, imprisoned in the Johannesburg Fort and charged three days
later for leaving South Africa illegally. He was sentenced to five years in prison. While Nelson Mandela
was imprisoned, police arrested other prominent ANC leaders on 11 July 1963, at Liliesleaf Farm, Rivonia,
north of Johannesburg. Nelson Mandela was brought in, and at the "Rivonia Trial" held at the Supreme Court
in Pretoria, they were charged with the capital crimes of sabotage and treason. Two years later on 11
June 1964, a verdict was given. All except Rusty Bernstein were found guilty, but due to international
pressure they escaped the death sentence by hanging and were sentenced to life imprisonment on 12 June
1964. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island where Nelson Mandela remained for the next
seventeen of his twenty-seven years in prison. Whilst in prison Nelson Mandela undertook study
with the University of London by correspondence through its External Programme and received the
degree of Bachelor of Laws. Nelson Mandela was transferred from Robben Island to Pollsmoor Prison
near Constantia, where Nelson Mandela spent 8 years and the last 2 years in the Victor Verster Prison (Drakenstein prison).
In 1985 President P.W. Botha offered Nelson Mandela conditional release in return for renouncing the armed
struggle. Although, he was advised against doing so, saying that Nelson Mandela would never commit
his organization to giving up the armed struggle in exchange for personal freedom. Nelson Mandela
indeed turned down the offer, releasing a statement via his daughter Zindzi saying "What freedom am I
being offered while the organization of the people remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner
cannot enter into contracts." Most people refer to Nelson Mandela being imprison for 27 years, but
if you consider that Nelson Mandela was in and out of prison for 4 years during the "Treason Trial"
and again for 2 years during and until sentence was given in the Rivonia Trial", Nelson Mandela was
really imprison for about 31 years.
In 1989 the President of South Africa P W Botha suffered a stroke and was replaced as president
by F W de Klerk. President FW de Klerk of South Africa announced Nelson Mandela's release. Nelson Mandela
took the "long walk to freedom" from the Victor Verster Prison (Drakenstein prison) on 11 February 1990.
On the day of Nelson Mandela's release, Nelson Mandela made a speech to the nation. Nelson Mandela declared
his commitment to peace and reconciliation with the country's white minority, but made it clear that the
ANC's armed struggle was not yet over:
"Our resort to the armed struggle in 1960 with the formation of the military wing of the ANC
(Umkhonto we Sizwe) was a purely defensive action against the violence of apartheid. The factors which
necessitated the armed struggle still exist today. We have no option but to continue. We express the
hope that a climate conducive to a negotiated settlement would be created soon, so that there may no
longer be the need for the armed struggle."
Nelson Mandela also said his main focus was to bring peace to the black majority and
give them the right to vote in both national and local elections.
Nelson Mandela's leadership through the negotiations, as well as Nelson Mandela's relationship with President F.W.
de Klerk, was recognized when they were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
South Africa's first multi-racial elections in which full enfranchisement was granted were held on 27 April 1994.
The ANC won 62% of the votes in the election, and Nelson Mandela, as leader of the ANC, was inaugurated on 10 May 1994
as the country's first black President of the Republic of South Africa. Nelson Mandela served one term of 5 years, as
per South Africa's constitution. Famous word from a great man - Nelson Mandela:
"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".
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