There are various resources documenting the life and times of Mr Nelson Mandela which can be found in an exceptional range of locations, both locally in South Africa and internationally. In this short article we are going to introduce you Nelson Mandela Biography – the life and times of Nelson Mandela, the legacy he left behind, the events and the people he influenced or was influenced by – all in Memory of this great hero.
Nelson Mandela Biography
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born to the Madiba clan in Mvezo, Transkei on 18 July 1918 to Nonqaphi Nosekeni and Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela, chief adviser to the acting king of the Thembu people, Jongintaba Dalindyebo. During his elementary school days in Qunu, his teacher Miss Mdingane gave him the name Nelson, following the custom of giving “Christian” names to all school children that existed at the time. Mandela completed his Junior Certificate at Clarkebury Boarding Institute and later attended Healdtown, a prestigious Wesleyan secondary school
He began LLB studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. Admitting that he was a poor student, he left the university in 1948 without a degree. He only began to study again at the University of London and did not complete this study. It was not until 1989, in the final months of his incarceration, that he received an LLB through the University of South Africa.
Although increasingly politically active from 1942 onwards, Nelson Mandela did not join the African National Congress until 1944, when he helped found the ANC Youth League.
On December 5, 1955, Nelson Mandela was arrested and eventually acquitted in a nationwide police march of 156 activists that led to the 1956 treason trial. On March 21, 1960, police killed 69 unarmed people at a protest in Sharpeville against the passport laws, and Nelson Mandela along with his colleagues in the treason trial were among the thousands detained under the state of emergency.
Recommended reading : 7 important lessons from the life of Nelson MandelaIn October 1963, Nelson Mandela along with nine others went on trial for sabotage in what became known as the Rivonia Trial. On April 20, 1964, while facing the death penalty, he gave a famous “speech from the dock” that will always be remembered
“I have fought white rule and I have fought black rule. I valued the ideal of a democratic and free society where all people live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It’s an ideal I live for and want to achieve. But if I have to, it’s an ideal I’m willing to die for. “
On June 11, 1964, Nelson Mandela and seven other defendants Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Denis Goldberg, Elias Motsoaledi and Andrew Mlangeni were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. The next day. Denis Goldberg was sent to Pretoria prison for being white while the rest were sent to Robben Island. His mother died in 1968 and his eldest son Thembi died in 1969, but he was not allowed to attend their funerals.
On 10 May 1994, after talks to end white minority rule and in 1991 after his election as ANC President, Nelson Mandela was elected South Africa’s first democratically elected President.
Mr. Mandela never wavered in his commitment to democracy, equality, fairness, justice, peace and learning. Despite being terribly provoked, he never responded with racism to racism. Nelson Mandela’s life is an inspiration to all who are oppressed and disadvantaged. Nelson Mandela died on Thursday 5th December 2013 but his memory lives on and will always be remembered.
Mandela family: wife and children
The well-known freedom fighter has three wives. Though he escaped what might have been his first arranged marriage during his teenage years, Mandela’s first marriage was in 1958 to Evelyn Mase, a nurse from rural Transkei whom he met in the 1940s and married at the Native Court of Soweto.
Recommended reading: Why Nelson Mandela was called Madiba
The couple had lived together since their marriage in 1944 and had four children, including two sons, Madiba “Thembi” Thembekile (1946-1969) and Makgatho Mandela (1950-2005), and two daughters, both Makaziwe Mandela (known as Maki; born 1947 and 1953). Evely has been highly praised by her fellow Soweto citizens as a person who has been supportive of her husband who has been busy with his legal practices and political meetings. However, things changed as Mandela became more involved in politics and Evely found more joy in her religion as a Jehovah’s Witness. In 1958 they divorced and accused Mandela of adultery.
Mandela went on to marry his second wife Winnie Mandela in 1958, the same year he was separated from his first wife. Winne, formerly Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela, was a passionate South African activist and politician who, like Mandela, shook the apartheid government with her speeches and activities. She was also Johannesburg’s first black social worker.
After tying the knot in June 1958, Winnie lived and also supported her husband until the start of his second treason trial, which would see him imprisoned for 27 years. She also had tough times when the South African government regularly tortured her and placed her under house arrest following her anti-apartheid activities. The couple had two daughters, Ezinhle ROOI (born 1959) and Zindzi (born 1960).
In 1992, two years after Mandela’s release in 1990, Winne filed for divorce, which officially ended their marriage. The divorce papers were finalized in 1996 with an unspecified out-of-court settlement.
In 1998, Mandela married his third wife, GraçaMachel, on the occasion of his 80th birthday. She was the widow of Samora Machel, former President of Mozambique, and had studied in Lisbon before becoming a freedom fighter for Samora Machel’s Frelimo movement.
Mandela, who was 27 years Winnie’s senior, met in Mozambique in 1986 after her husband died in a plane crash allegedly caused by the apartheid regime. From then on, Mandela continued to write her letters from prison and in 1998, on Mandela’s birthday, Machel announced that she was ready to be with Mandela as his wife.
Recommended Reading: Top 25 Nelson Mandela Quotes
Machel confessed that she had not previously vowed to be remarried, but Mandela had persuaded her to change her mind. In his book Mandela: The Authorized Biography, Mandela acknowledged that they had a good time as a husband and wife: “I have no regrets about the reversals and setbacks because late in my life I bloom like a flower for the love and support, that she gave me. “
Nelson Mandela resigned after one term as President in 1999, just as he promised. He died on December 5, 2013, leaving behind his six children, 17 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.
Nelson Mandela height
Nelson Mandela was 182.9 cm tall. He is 12 centimeters (4.75 inches) taller than the average celebrity (average is 171 centimeters, 5 feet 7 inches or 67 inches tall).
Interesting facts about Nelson Mandela
1. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela spent nearly three decades in prison.
2. The anti-apartheid activist studied and completed his law degree at the University of the Witwatersrand while still in prison and became one of the first black lawyers in South Africa.
3. Mandela devoted all his years to politics, gaining freedom for the oppressed and destroying the apartheid government in the country.
4. Mandela’s court speech about willingness to die helped him gain his freedom during his trial that would earn him a life sentence.
5. In the 1950s he was elected leader of the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC) liberation movement.
6. He was elected South Africa’s first President in 1994 after the end of apartheid.
7. Mandela is known by different names. South Africans call Hin Madiba and Mkhulu. Madiba is the name of his clan. Mkhulu means grandfather in their language.
8. In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly declared July 18 “Mandela Day”. This is a national celebration and recognition of Mandela’s contribution to freedom.
9. After he finished his presidency, he became an advocate in support of people suffering from AIDS.
10. He has honorary degrees from more than 50 universities worldwide.
