21 Best Nelson Mandela Quotes

Nelson Mandela Childhood and Early Life

Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July 1918, in the town of Mvezo, in the Eastern Cape. His dad was Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela, who was head instructor to the King of the Thembu public. When he was only 12 years of age, his dad passed away. Hearing stories of the bravery of his ancestors during the battles against oppression, he dreamt of himself following in the footsteps of his ancestors and fight for the rights of his people.

Who gave Mandela the Name Nelson

Rolihlahla Mandela was sent to school in Qunu. It was here that his teacher Miss Mdingane, gave him the name Nelson, as was the custom thereof giving all schoolchildren Christian names. Nelson Mandela finished his Junior Certificate at Clarkebury Boarding Institute and went on to Healdtown, from where he completed his matriculation. Mandela enrolled for his studies for a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University College of Fort Hare however didn’t finish the degree there as he was ousted for participating in a student protest. He, be that as it may, finished his BA through the University of South Africa and returned to Fort Hare for his graduation in 1943.

Nelson Mandela Early Life and Struggle

In 1941, he left his home and reached Johannesburg. There he got a job as a mine security official and subsequent to meeting Walter Sisulu, an estate agent. It was here that he was introduced to Lazer Sidelsky. He at that point started writing articles through a firm of lawyers – Witkin, Eidelman, and Sidelsky.

Nelson Mandela Studied at Wits

Mandela then started studying for Law at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is the most famous alumni of Wits University. He left the university in 1952 without graduating. He began pursuing again through the University of London after his detainment in 1962 but still didn’t finish that degree. It was only in 1989, while in detention that he got an LLB through the University of South Africa. He graduated in absentia at a service in Cape Town.

Nelson Mandela First Wife and Children

In 1944 he wedded Walter Sisulu’s cousin, Evelyn Mase, a medical attendant. They had two children, Madiba Thembekile “Thembi” and Makgatho, and two little girls both called Makaziwe, the first of whom passed on in early stages. He and his wife Evelyn separated in 1958.

Nelson Mandela Political Career Timeline

Mandela, by this time increasingly became involved in politics and joined the African National Congress in 1944 when he assisted with framing the ANC Youth League (ANCYL). Mandela rose through the positions of the ANCYL and through its efforts, the ANC adopted a more extreme mass-based strategy, the Program of Action, in 1949.

Nelson Mandela Strugle for Freedom

Next Mandela was picked as the National Volunteer-in-Chief of the Defiance Campaign with Maulvi Cachalia as his representative in 1952. This mission of common non-cooperation against six laws that were unjust was a joint program between the ANC and the South African Indian Congress. He and 19 others were charged under the Suppression of Communism Act and condemned to nine months of hard labor as well as suspended for two years.

Mandela and Tambo Law Firm

Mandela with his degree in Law and Diploma started practicing law. In August 1952 he and Oliver Tambo set up South Africa’s first black law office which was called Mandela and Tambo. Toward the end of 1952, he was confined unexpectedly. He watched secretly as the Freedom Charter was adopted in Kliptown on 26 June 1955.

Treason Trial 1956 to 1961

In Dec 1956, Mandela was arrested in a countrywide police raid. This led to the 1956 Treason Trial when people of all races faced the long marathon trial that ended with the acquittal of all 28 charged, including Mandela on 29 March 1961. In 21 March 1960 police executed 69 unarmed individuals, protesting in Sharpeville against the passed laws. This led to the proclamation of the nation’s first emergency. The ANC and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) were banned and Mandela and his colleagues were among thousands kept in detention during the highly sensitive situation.

Nelson Mandela Winnie Wedding

During the trial, Mandela wedded a social laborer, Winnie Madikizela, on 14 June 1958. They had two girls, Zenani and Zindziswa. The couple separated in 1996.

Who was David Motsamai

Mandela and his partners were subsequently absolved in the Treason Trial. He however went underground and started arranging public strikes and protests. In January 1962, using the name of David Motsamai, Mandela secretly left South Africa. David Motsami, who was his client, was a local businessman and a bootlegger. He went around Africa and visited England to get support for the fight against apartheid. He got military training in Morocco and Ethiopia and returned back to South Africa in July 1962. However, he was captured in a police raid in Howick and was put on trial.

Nelson Mandela Tivonia Trial

He was accused of leaving the country without a passport and inciting the public to protest. He was charged and condemned to five years’ imprisonment, which he started serving at the Pretoria Local Prison. On 27 May 1963, he was moved to Robben Island and back to Pretoria on 12 June. On 9 October 1963 Mandela and 10 others were put on trial for what got known as the Rivonia Trial. On 11 June 1964 Mandela and seven others were condemned to life imprisonment. These otheres were Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Denis Goldberg, Elias Motsoaledi, and Andrew Mlangeni.

Nelson Mandela at Robben Island

Mandela was sent to prison at Robben Island where he spent 18 long years from 1964 to 1982. In 1982 Mandela was moved to Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town with Sisulu, Mhlaba, and Mlangeni. In 1985, he went for a prostate medical procedure. In 1988, he was taken to the emergency clinic where he was found to be suffering from tuberculosis.

Mandela at Victor Verster Prison in Paarl

After over a year in two different medical clinics, he was moved to a house at Victor Verster Prison close to Paarl in December 1988 where he went through 14 months of imprisonment. He was released on 11 February 1990, just days before the ban on ANC and the PAC were lifted.

Nelson Mandela Friends

Mandela started mobilizing people and held meetings with the government in power to end the white minority rule. In 1991 Mandela was elected President of the African National Congress (ANC) in place of place his ailing friend, Oliver Tambo. K. D. Matanzima and Oliver Tambo were Nelson Mandela’s close friends and comrades for decades.

When Nelson Mandela got Nobel Prize

In 1993 Nelson Mandela President FW de Klerk of South Africa jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa. Nelson Mandela was also awarded with the Bharat Ratna in 1990 by the Indian Government for his fight against apartheid.

Nelson Mandela becomes President of South Africa 1994

On 27 April 1994, Nelson Mandela voted for the first time in his life. The on 10 May 1994, he took oath as South Africa’s first democratically elected President. Mandela stepped down in 1999 after just one term as President, as he had promised. However, he continued working for the public. He set up Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund in 1995 and later established the Nelson Mandela Foundation and The Mandela Rhodes Foundation.

Nelson Mandela marries Graça Machel on his 80th birthday

In 1998, at the age of 80, he married for the third time and married Graça Machel. Nelson Mandela, fondly called Madiba died at his home in Johannesburg on 5 December 2013, after protracted illness.