3. BIRTH DATE AND PLACE
AND FAMILY
NELSON ROLIHLAHLA MANDELA
WAS BORN IN TRANSKEI, SOUTH
AFRICA ON JULY 18, 1918. HIS
FATHER WAS HENDRY
MPHAKANYISWA OF THE TEMBU
TRIBE
4. INTRODUCTION:
• NELSON ROHLILAL MANDELA WAS REVOLUTIONARY SOUTH AFRICAN LEADER WHO
WAS AGAINST APARTHEID
• HE WAS THE PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA FROM 1994 TO 1999
• HE WAS THE FIRST BLACK SOUTH AFRICAN TO HOLD OFFICE, AND FIRST TO BE
ELECTED IN A FULLY REPRESENTATIVE, MULTIRACIAL ELECTION
• HIS GOVERNMENT FOCUSED ON ENDING THE RUTHLESS LEGACY OF APARTHEID
• HE WAS PRESIDENT OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS FROM 1991 TO 19997
AND WAS THESECRETARY GENERAL OOF NON-ALLIGNED MOVEMENT FROM1998 TO
1999
5. EDUCATION
MANDELA WAS EDUCATED AT UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF FORT HARE AND THE
UNIVERSITY OF WITWATERSRAND WHERE HE
STUDIED LAW
6. JOINING OF ANC
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.
7. BANNING OF 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.
8. FORMATION OF
UMKHONTO WE SIZWE
UMKHONTO WE SIZWE (ABBREVIATED AS MK,
TRANSLATED AS "SPEAR OF THE NATION") WAS THE
ARMED WING OF THE ANC CO-FOUNDED BY NELSON
MANDELA, WHICH FOUGHT AGAINST THE SOUTH AFRICAN
GOVERNMENT. MK LAUNCHED ITS FIRST GUERRILLA
ATTACKS AGAINST GOVERNMENT INSTALLATIONS ON 16
DECEMBER 1961. IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CLASSIFIED AS A
TERRORIST ORGANISATION BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN
GOVERNMENT AND THE UNITED STATES, AND BANNED.
9. HIS ARREST IN 1962
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
10. HIS ARREST IN 1964
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.
11. HIS RELEASED IN 1990
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 AND THAT
WAS TOO END APARTHEID AND DISCRIMINATION
12. AT THE CONFERENCE OF
ANC
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.
13. YEAR 1993
HE WAS AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
TOGETHER WITH FW DE KLERK, THEN PRESIDENT OF
SOUTH AFRICA, IN 1993. THE FOLLOWING YEAR
SOUTH AFRICA HELD ITS FIRST MULTI-RACIAL
ELECTION AND MANDELA WAS ELECTED ITS FIRST
BLACK PRESIDENT
14. THE END OF TERM IN
OFFICE:
IN 1997 HE STEPPED DOWN AS ANC LEADER AND IN
1999 HIS PRESIDENCY OF SOUTH AFRICA CAME TO
AN END.
IN 2004, MANDELA ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT
FROM PUBLIC LIFE, ALTHOUGH HIS CHARITABLE
WORK CONTINUED. ON 29 AUGUST 2007, A
PERMANENT STATUE TO HIM WAS UNVEILED IN
PARLIAMENT SQUARE, LONDON.
