"No one in my family had ever attended school [...] On the first day of school my teacher, Miss Mdingane, gave each of us an English name. This was the custom among Africans in those days and was undoubtedly due to the British bias of our education. That day, Miss Mdingane told me that my new name was Nelson. Why this particular name I have no idea."
His Glory and Achivments: (order of australia, merit, canada, jamacia, saint john, prince henry, seraphim, bharat ratna(1990), neshan-e-pakistan)Won nobel prize in 1993.
(18July 1918 – 5December 2013)He was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first black South African to hold the office, and the first elected in a fully representativedemocratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheidthrough tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served asPresident of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997. Internationally, Mandela was Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999.
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As a leader:
He studied law in the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, he became involved in anti-colonial politics,joining the ANC and becoming a founding member of itsYouth League. After the South AfricanNational Party came to power in 1948, he rose to prominence in the ANC's 1952 Defiance Campaign, was appointed superintendent of the organisation's Transvaal chapter and presided over the 1955 Congress of the People. Working as a lawyer, he was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and, with the ANC leadership, was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the Treason Trial from 1956 to 1961. Although initially committed to non-violent protest, he co-founded the militant Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in 1961 in association with the South African Communist Party, leading asabotage campaign against the apartheid government.
Under Dark:
In 1962 he was arrested, convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the government, and sentenced to life imprisonment in theRivonia Trial.Mandela served 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990 amid escalating civil strife. Mandela published his autobiography and opened negotiations with President F.W. de Klerk to abolish apartheid and establishmultiracial elections in 1994, in which he led the ANC to victory. As South Africa's first black president Mandela formed a Government of National Unity in an attempt to defuse racial tension. He also promulgated a new constitution and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses.
*Long Walk to Freedom is an autobiographical work (published 1995):
The book profiles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison. Under the apartheid government, Mandela was regarded as a terrorist and jailed on the infamous Robben Island for his role as a leader of the then-outlawed ANC.
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| AS A PRESIDENT |
As a president (1994-1999):
Mandela became head of a Government of National Unity dominated by the ANC – which alone had no experience of governance – but containing representatives from the National Party and Inkatha.Aged 76, he faced various ailments, and although exhibiting continued energy, he felt isolated and lonely. He often entertained celebrities, such as Michael Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, and the Spice Girls, and befriended a number of ultra-rich businessman, like Harry Oppenheimer of Anglo-American, as well as Queen Elizabeth II on her March 1995 state visitto South Africa, resulting in strong criticism from ANC anti-capitalists.
National reconciliation:Presiding over the transition from apartheid minority rule to a multicultural democracy, Mandela saw national reconciliation as the primary task of his presidency. Having seen other post-colonial African economies damaged by the departure of white elites, Mandela worked to reassure South Africa's white population that they were protected and represented in "the Rainbow Nation"
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| Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela |
Domestic programmes:Many domestic problems however remained. Critics like Edwin Cameron accused Mandela's government of doing little to stem the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the country; by 1999, 10% of South Africa's population were HIV positive.South Africa having one of the world's highest crime rates; this was a key reason cited by the 750,000 whites who emigrated in the late 1990s.
Foreign affairs:, Mandela encouraged other nations to resolve conflicts through diplomacy and reconciliation. He echoed Mbeki's calls for an "African Renaissance".In September 1998, Mandela was appointed Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement, who held their annual conference in Durban. Mandela sought greater economic relations with East Asia, in particular with Malaysia, although this was scuppered by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. He attracted controversy for his close relationship with Indonesian President Suharto, whose regime was responsible for mass human rights abuses, although privately urged him to withdraw from the occupation of East Timor.
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| WITH FW-DE-KLERK |
Retirement :
Continued activism and philanthropy: 1999–2004:Retiring in June 1999, Mandela sought a quiet family life, to be divided between Johannesburg and Qunu.Mandela Foundation, founded in 1999 to focus on combating HIV/AIDS, rural development and school construction. Although he had been heavily criticised for failing to do enough to fight the pandemic during his presidency.
“I am no longer in politics, I'm just watching from a distance and when people come to me and say, 'What do we do with a situation like this?' I say, “No, go to people in politics, I am no longer in politics, I've retired.”
HIS DEATH:
Mandela died of a lung infection on 5 December 2013 at around 20:50 UTC at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg surrounded by his family. He was 95 years of age. His death was announced by President Jacob Zuma. On 6 December, Zuma announced a national mourning period of ten days, with the main event being an official memorial service to be held at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Tuesday 10 December. He declared Sunday 8 December a national day of prayer and reflection.
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| Nelson Mandela's house at Victor Verster Prison |
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