WORLD ICONS, AFRICAN ROOTS: NELSON "MANDIBA" MANDELA

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was
born in Transkei, South Africa
on July 18, 1918. His father was
Chief Henry Mandela of the
Tembu Tribe.


Mandela himself was educated at University College of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand
and qualified in law in 1942. He joined the African National Congress in 1944 and was
engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies after 1948.


He went on trial for treason in
1956-1961 and was acquitted in 1961.


After the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson Mandela argued for the setting up of a military wing within the ANC. In June 1961,
the ANC executive considered his proposal on the use of violent tactics and agreed that
those members who wished to involve themselves in Mandela's campaign would not be stopped from doing so by the ANC.


This led to the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe. Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years' imprisonment with
hard labour. In 1963, when many fellow leaders of the ANC and the Umkhonto we Sizwe were arrested, Mandela was brought
to stand trial with them for plotting to overthrow the government by violence.

His statement from the dock received considerable international publicity. On June
12, 1964, eight of the accused, including Mandela, were sentenced to life imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was
incarcerated at Robben Island Prison, off Cape Town; thereafter, he was at Pollsmoor
Prison, nearby on the mainland.
During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela's reputation grew steadily. He was widely
accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and became a potent symbol
of resistance as the anti-apartheid
movement gathered strength.

He consistently refused to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom.


Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990. After his release, he plunged
himself wholeheartedly into his life's work, striving to attain the goals he and others had set out almost four decades earlier. In
1991, at the first national conference of the ANC held inside South Africa after the organization had been banned in 1960,
Mandela was elected President of the ANC while his lifelong friend and colleague, Oliver
Tambo, became the organisation's National Chairperson.

Nelson Mandela is a world recognised icon of peace. He's currently a holder of the prestigious Nobel Peace Award!

God bless "Mandiba" for us!