A Biography of Nelson Mandela
By Harry Bird
“The struggle is my life”
Childhood – Growing Up:
Nelson Mandela was born
Mandela was born into a royal line amongst his clan. His father was an advisor to the king. While still an infant though, his father was involved in a dispute which cost him and his family their fortune and their title; he challenged the authority of one of the magistrates over a tribal matter which in their clan was considered the height of insolence. They then simply deposed him which essentially ended the Mandela chieftainship. Mandela says in his auto-biography, ‘The Long Walk to Freedom’, that he saw a sense of stubbornness and rebelliousness in his father which he still sees in himself. This could possibly have been Mandela’s first influence to stand up for what he believes in and rebel against what he feels is unjust.
His father died when he was 9. Him and his mother then left Qunu and went to Mqhekezweni; the capital of Thembuland. The acting regent of the Thembu people at the time, Jongintaba, offered to become his guardian, which his mother agreed upon. The regent had universal respect from all members of the clan and through witnessing the regent and his court discuss political matters, it greatly influenced Mandela’s notions of leadership. In Mandela’s auto-biography he says that when in the court, no matter who you were, you could speak. Everyone’s opinion was heard and taken into account. It was ‘democracy in its purest form’. I believe this influenced Mandela’s political ideals in regards to how everyone, regardless of class and race, should be treated equally within the community.
After turning 16, he had his circumcision. This was to signify his entry into manhood in his culture and Mandela says it was a proud moment. However, during the chieftain’s speech after Nelson had completed his ordeal he brings up the suppression of black people in
“Without exactly understanding why, his words began to work on me. He had sown a seed, and though I let that seed lie dormant for a long season, it eventually began to grow.”
Education:
After completing secondary school at the Clarkebury Institute at 16 and the
Upon returning home from
While completing his Bachelor of Arts degree, a white lawyer took Mandela on as his article clerk. During that time it was unheard of that a white man would give a black man such a job. There he befriended Gaur Radebe who he shared an office with. Gaur was a member of the ANC (African National Congress) and the Communist party, and in 1943 Mandela took part in his first protest with them. He took part along with 10,000 others in protest against the raise of bus fares from 4 to 5 pence for blacks. It proved effective 9 days later. Mandela found his first protest exhilarating and inspiring, seeing the effectiveness of Gandhi’s method of non-violent resistance in action. This is probably what first inspired Mandela, showing him there was something he could do to fight for what he believed in.
Throughout his time growing up he lived in many different places and as a result, Mandela witnessed many different things; namely the mistreatment of black Africans in
The ANC:
After the white African apartheid government came into power in 1948, Mandela became an even more active member in the ANC. The ANC were a group, mainly consisted of black members that strongly opposed the policy of apartheid imposed by the now in power National Party government. Apartheid was a form of racial segregation in
Mandela has a long list of many various achievements and programs that he achieved and participated in while a member of the ANC. With almost all of his approaches he used to combat the apartheid government, he drew inspiration from Gandhi’s work in
Sharpeville Massacre:
Mandela’s non-violent protests and strike organisations were often met by brutal retaliation by authorities; and massacres sometimes ensued. Although the details of exactly what happened at this massacre are in dispute, the protesters were unarmed and 69 people were killed, 8 of them women and 10 of them children.
Pass laws had been in effect since 1923; these laws restricted the movement of black Africans through ‘white areas’. In protest, on
The Sharpeville massacre led to the banning of the ANC and other similar groups. Being a member was illegal and Mandela was now an outlaw. Both the massacre and the banning were a catalyst for Mandela to form a militant wing for the now forced underground and illegal ANC; Umkhonto we Sizwe, MK for short. He says in his auto-biography that this was most definitely not the course of action he wished to take, but if the government wished to respond to his peaceful attempts at negotiation with such violence, he had no choice but to shift from non-violent resistance to armed-resistance.
Umkhonto we Sizwe:
Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) or MK for short, is the militant wing of the ANC which was in part, formed by Mandela. It was formed in co-operation with the Communist Party in order to fight the South African apartheid government. The group was headquartered in Rivonia and was formed in response to the Sharpeville Massacre and the following banning of the ANC. Their views were that the times had changed, and the previous methods of non-violent resistance obviously weren’t working after a run of previously failed efforts. The original intention of the group was not to engage in civil war, but merely sabotage certain government activities in order to do things such as weaken the economy etc. with minimal loss of human life in order to still abide by Mandela’s and the ANC core principles of non-violent approaches. The MK is described as ‘the fighting arm of the people against the government and its policies of race oppression’.
Between December 1961 and July 1963 over 200 sabotage operations were undertook by the MK and they were all carried out in such a way to minimize the loss of human life. Throughout this time, recruits were dispatched to receive military training overseas which in turn, increased awareness of the ANC’s cause in
In July 1963, police raided MK headquarters in Rivonia at Lilliesleaf Farm and found almost the entire leadership of the MK studying a planned proposal for guerilla warfare. They were all immediately arrested; Mandela, who was already serving a 5 year jail term for leaving the country without a passport, and the other leaders of MK who weren’t present were also charged. They were then trialed for 223 accounts of sabotage which is known as the infamous Rivonia Trail.
Rivonia Trial and Imprisonment:
The Rivonia Trial is the infamous trial where Nelson Mandela and the other leaders of MK were trialed for 223 different cases of sabotage which took place between 1963 and 1964. In this trial, Mandela was found guilty of 4 different acts of sabotage and was sentenced to life imprisonment, like almost all the others involved in this trial, and as a result spent nearly 30 years as a political prisoner on
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
The original sentence that was called upon was the death penalty for all accused, but after worldwide riots and protests, it was later changed to life imprisonment. This is a prominent example of Mandela’s iconic status in
Mandela then spent nearly 30 years in gaol on
In 1985 the president of
"What freedom am I being offered while the organisation of the people remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts.”
This quote highlights his strong will and selfless inspiring devotion to the cause for which he was put in gaol for.
While imprisoned, both national and international pressure was placed on the South African government to release Mandela, presented simply via slogan, ‘Free Nelson Mandela!’. A while later, Botha suffered a stroke and Frederick Willem De Klerk took over as president. Mandela was shortly released in 1990, a historical moment in history which was broadcast live on television all over the world. De Klerk then removed the ban on all organizations, including MK and the ANC, and Mandela became the president of the ANC.
Presidency:
After his release, negotiations with De Klerk were made to end apartheid in
Legacy:
Nelson Mandela had what many would consider an extremely fulfilling life. He was the first black president of
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Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela: – Visited Aug 4 08
(http://www.soweto.co.za/html/p_mandela.htm)
Sharpeville Massacre: – The Origin of South Africa’s Human Rights Day: – Visited Aug 4 08
(http://africanhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa-SharpevilleMassacre-a.htm)
History of MK: – Visited Aug 4 08
http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/governence-projects/organisations/MK/formation.htm
The Rivonia Trial and Lilliesleaf Farm: – Visited Aug 4 08
http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/governence-projects/rivonia-liliesleaf/rivonia-trial.htm
MANDELA (1994) The Illustrated Long Walk to Freedom, Little, Brown
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