NELSON MANDELA

BIOGRAPHY OF NELSON MANDELA

• NELSON MANDELA WAS SOUTH AFRICAN ANTI-APARTHEID REVOLUTIONARY , POLITICIAN AND PHILANTHROPIST WHO SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA FROM 1994-1999.
• HE WAS BORN ON 18^th JULY 1918.
• HE ATTENDED PRIMARY SCHOOL IN QUNU WHERE HIS TEACHER MISS MDINGANE GAVE HIM THE NAME NELSON , IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CUSTOM TO GIVE ALL SCHOOL CHILDREN "CHRISTIAN" NAMES.
• HE BEGAN HIS STUDIES FOR BA DEGREE AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FORT HARE BUT DID NOT COMPLETE THE DEGREE THERE HE WAS EXPELLED  FOR JOINING IN A STUDENT MOVEMENT.HE COMPLETED HIS BA THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA.
• HE BEGAN STUDYING FOR AN LLB AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND.BY HIS OWN ADMISSION HE WAS POOR STUDENT AND LEFT THE UNIVERSITY IN 1952 WITHOUT GRADUATING. HE ONLY STARTED STUDYING AGAIN THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON AFTER HIS IMPRISONMENT IN 1962 BUT ALSO DID NOT COMPLETE THAT DEGREE.HE OBTAINED AN LLB THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA IN 1989 ,  IN THE LAST MONTHS OF HIS IMPRISONMENT.
• NELSON MANDELA ,  WHILE INCREASINGLY POLITICALLY INVOLVED FROM 1942 , ONLY JOINED THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS IN 1944 WHEN HE HELPED TO FORM THE ANC YOUTH LEAGUE.
• IN 1944 HE MARRIED WALTER SISULU'S COUSIN EVELYN MASE , A NURSE . THEY HAD TWO SONS AND TWO DAUGHTERS. HE AND HIS WIFE DIVORCED IN 1958.
• HE ROSE THROUGH THE RANKS OF THE ANYCL AND THROUGH ITS EFFORTS, THE ANC ADOPTED A MORE RADICAL MASS-BASED POLICY, THE PROGRAMME OF ACTION IN 1949.
• IN 1952 HE WAS CHARGED UNDER THE SUPPRESSION OF COMMUNISM ACT FOR HIS PART IN A CAMPAIGN  AGAINST SIX UNJUST LAWS AND SENTENCED TO NINE MONTHS HARD LABOUR,
• A TWO-YEAR DEPLOMA IN LAW ON TOP OF HIS BA ALLOWED NELSON MANDELA TO PRACTICE LAW, AND IN AUGUST 1952 HE AND OLIVER TAMBO ESTABLISHED SOUTH AFRICA'S FIRST BLACK LAW FIRM.
• AT THE END OF 1952 HE WAS BANNED FOR THE FIRST TIME.AS A RESTRICTED PERSON HE WAS ONLY PERMITTED TO WATCH IN SECRET AS THE FREEDOM CHARTER WAS ADOPTED IN KLIPTOWN ON 26 JUNE 1955.
• HE WAS ARRESTED IN A COUNTRYWIDE POLICE SWOOP ON 5 DECEMBER 1955, WHICH LED TO THE 1956 TREASON TRIAL.
• ON 21 MARCH 1960 POLICE KILLED 69 UNARMED PEOPLE IN A PROTEST IN SHARPEVILLE AGAINST THE PASS LAWS.THIS LED TO THE COUNTRY'S FIRST STATE OF EMERGENCY AND THE BANNING OF THE ANC AND THE PLAN AFRICANIST CONGRESS ON 8 APRIL.HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES IN THE TREASON TRAIL WERE AMONG THOUSANDS DETAINED DURING THE STATE OF EMERGENCY.
• DURING THE TRIAL ON 14 JUNE 1958 NELSON MANDELA MARRIED A SOCIAL WORKER , WINNIE MADIKIZELA . THEY HAD TWO DAUGHTERS. THEY DIVORCED IN 1996.
• AS SOON AS HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES WERE ACQUITTED IN THE TREASON TRAIL NELSON MANDELA WENT UNDERGROUND AND BEGAN PLANNING A NATIONAL STRIKE  FOR 29,30,31 MARCH.IN THE FACE OF MASSIVE MOBILIZATION OF STATE SECURITY THE STRIKE WAS CALLED OFF EARLY.
• \IN JUNE 1961 HE WAS ASKED TO LEAD THE ARMED STRUGGLE AND HELPED TO ESTABLISH UMKHONTO WESIZWE WHICH LAUNCHED ON 16 DECEMBER 1961 WITH A SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS.
• ON 11 JANUARY 1962 , USING AN ADOPTED NAME DAVID MOTSAMAYI, HE SECRETLY LEFT SOUTH AFRICA. HE TRAVELLED AROUND AFRICA AND VISITED ENGLAND TO GAIN SUPPORT FOR THE ARMED STRUGGLE.
• HE RECEIVED MILITARY TRAINING IN MOROCCO AND ETHOPIA AND RETURNED TO SOUTH AFRICA IN JULY 1962.
• HE WAS ARRESTED IN A POLICE ROADBLOCK OUTSIDE HOWICK ON AUGUST 5 WHILE RETURNING TO SOUTH AFRICA.
• HE WAS CHARGED WITH LEAVING THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY AND INCITING WORKERS TO STRIKE.HE WAS CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO FIVE YEAR IMPRISONMENT WHICH HE BEGAN SERVING IN THE PRETORIA LOCAL PRISON.
• ON 9 OCTOBER 1963 NELSON MANDELA JOINED TEN OTHERS ON TRIAL FOR SABOTAGE IN WHAT BECAME KNOWN AS THE RIVONIA TRIAL.WHILE FACING THE DEATH PENALTY HIS WORDS TO THE COURT AT THE END OF HIS FAMOUS "SPEECH FROM THE DOCK" ON 20 APRIL 1964 BECAME IMMORTALISED:

" 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. "

• ON 11 JUNE 1964 NELSON MANDELA AND SEVEN OTHER ACCUSED WERE CONVICTED AND THE NEXT DAY WERE SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT, AND WENT TO ROBBEN ISLAND.
• HE WAS NOT ALLOWED TO ATTEND THE FUNERALS OF HIS MOTHER AND HIS ELDEST SON.
• ON 31 MARCH 1982 HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO POLLSMOOR PRISON IN CAPE TOWN WITH SISULU , MHLABA AND MLANGENI.WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE PRISON IN NOVEMBOR 1985 AFTER PROSTATE SURGERY NELSON MANDELA WAS HELD ALONE.
• ON 12 AUGUST 1988 HE WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL WHERE HE WAS DIAGONIZED WITH TUBERCULOSIS.AFTER MORE THAN THREE MONTHS IN TWO HOSPITALS HE WAS TRANSFERRED ON 7 DECEMBER 1988 TO A HOUSE AT VICTOR VERSTER PRISON NEAR PAARL WHERE HE SPENT HIS LAST 14 MONTHS OF IMPRISONMENT.
• HE WAS RELEASED FROM ITS GATES ON SUNDAY 11 FEBRUARY 1990.THROUGHT HIS IMPRISONMENT HE HAD REJECTED AT LEAST THREE CONDITIONAL OFFERS OF RELEASE.
• NELSON MANDELA IMMERSED HIMSELF IN OFFICIAL TALKS TO END WHITE MINORITY RULE AND IN 1991 WAS ELECTED AS ANC PRESIDENT.
• IN 1993 HE  WON THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR PEACE.
• ON 27 APRIL 1994 HE VOTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE.
• ON 10 MAY 1994 HE WAS INAGURATED SOUTH AFRICA'S FIRST DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT.
• ON HIS 80th BIRTHDAY HE MARRIED GRACA MACHEL, HIS THIRD WIFE.
• TRUE TO HIS PROMISE NELSON MANDELA STEPPED DOWN IN 1999 AFTER ONE TERM AS PRESIDENT.
• HE CONTINUED TO WORK WITH THE NELSON MANDELA CHILDREN'S FUND HE SET UP IN 1995 AND ESTABLISHED THE NELSON MANDELA FOUNDATION AND THE MANDELA RHODES FOUNDATION.
• NELSON MANDELA NEVER WAVERED IN HIS DEVOTION TO DEMOCRACY , EQUALITY AND LEARNING.DESPITE TERRIBLE PROVOCATION, HE NEVER ANSWERED RACISM WITH RACISM.
• HIS LIFE IS AN INSPIRATION TO ALL WHO ARE OPPRESSED AND DEPRIVED.
• HE DIED IN JOHANNESBURG ON 5 DECEMBER 2013.

Also Read :11 Inspirational Quotes by Nelson Mnadela