Nelson
Mandela was born on the 18th of July, 1918, at Mvezo, a tiny Village on the
banks of the Mbashe River in the district of Umtata, the capital of the
Transkel. From the above, it will be safe to assert that a person place of
birth does not determine his destiny. This is because in present day South
African, Mandela’s home town is not one of the big cities in the country.
The year
of his birth marked the end of the great war; the outbreak of an influenza
epidemic that killed millions people throughout the world; and the visit of a
delegation of the African National Congress to the Versailles of South African.
It must be pointed out here that the birth of this great leader, brought both
good and bad things as can be seen above one begins to wonder whether the name,
Rolihlahla which means trouble maker given to him at birth by his father affected
some parts of his life.
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| NELSON MANDELA |
Nelson
Mandela’s father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyisiwa was a chief by both blood and custom.
He was confirmed as chief of Mvezo by the king of the Thembu tribe but under British
rule, his selection had to be ratified by the government, which in Mvezo to the
form of the local magustraya. His father also served as principle counselor to
the acting king of the Thembu people, Jongintaba Daliindyebo. He died when Mandela
was 12 years old and the young Rolihlahla became a ward of Jongintaba at the
great pace in Mghekezialani. Hearing the elders stories of his ancestor’s valour
during the wars of resistance, he dreamed also of making him own contribution
of the freedom struggle of his people. No wonder he said in long walk to freedom
and I quote.
“I am
fundamentally an optimist. Whether that homes from nature or nurture, I cannot say.
Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun one’s
feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was
sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That
way lays defeat and death”.
Madiba
as he was also called, a nickname taken from his clan attended primary school Qunu
where his teacher miss Mdingane give him name Nelson, in accordance with the custom
to give to all school children “Christian names. This name was given to him on
the first day he attended school. He completed his finer certificate at
clarkebury Boarding institution and want on to Healdtown, a Wesley and
secondary school of some repute, where he matriculated.
Nelson
Mandela began his studies for a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University
College of Fort Hare but did not complete the degree there as he was expelled for
joining in a student protest. He completed his bachelor of Arts (BA) through the
university of South Arica and went back to Fort Hare for his graduation in 1948
On
his return to the great place of Mghekezweni, the king was furious and said if
he didn’t return to Fort Hare he would arrange wives for him and his cousin justice.
Justice was four years old than Mandela. They ran away to Johanneshong instead,
arriving there in 1941. There he worked as a mine security officer and after
meeting Waller Sisulu, an estate agent, who introduced him to Lazar sidelsky.
He then did his articles through a firm of attorney, Witkin Eidelman and
Sidelsky. Meanwhile he began studying for an LLB at the University of the
Witwatersrand. By his own admission he was a poor student and left the
university in 1952 without graduesting. He only started studying again through the
University of London after his imprisonment in 1962 but also did not complete
the degree.
In 1989, while in the last months of his
imprisonment, he obtained an LL.B through the University of South Africa. He graduated
in absents at a ceremony in Cape Town. Nelson Mandela, while increasingly poetically
involved from 1942, only joined the Africa national congress (ANC).
In
1944, he married Water Sisulu’s consin Evelyn Mass,a nurse. They had two sons, Madiba Thembekile,
“Thembi” and Makgatho and two daughters both called Makaziwe, the first of whom
died in infancy. They effectively separated in 1955 and divorced in 1958. He
rise through the ranks of the ANC, Youth leader and through its work, in 1949,
the African Nation congress adopted a more radical mass bases policy, the
programme of action.
In
1952 he was chosen at the National volunteer-in chief of the Defiance Campaign
with Manlvi Cachalia as his deputy. This campaign of civil disobedience against
six unjust laws was at joint programme between the Africa National congress and
the South African Indian Congress. He and 19 others were charged under the
suppression of communism Act for their part in the campaign and sentenced to mine
months hard labour suspended for two years, what a sacrifices to humanity?
A
two-year diploma in law on top of his Bachelor of Arts allowed Nelson Mandela to
practice law, and in August, 1952 law firm, Mandela and Tambo. At the end of
1952, he was banned for the first time. As a restricted person, he was only
permitted to watch in secret as freedom charter was adopted in Ktptown on June
26, 1955. Nelson Mandela was arrested in a country wide police swoop on 5th
December, 1955, hich led to the 1956 trial. Men and women of all races found themselves
in the desk in the marathon trial that only ended when the last 28 accused,
including Mr. Mandela were acquitted on 29 March, 1961.
On
21st March 1960, police killed 69 unarmed people in a protest
against the pass laws held at Sharpeville. This led to the country’s National
congress and the plan Africanist Congress on 8 April, 1960. Nelson Mandela and
his colleagues in the treason trial were among thousands detained during the
state of emergency. During the trail on 14 June, 1958, Nelson Mandela married a
social worker, Winne Madikela. They had two daughters, Zeriani and Yndziswa.
The couple divorced in 1996.
Days
before the treason trial, Nelson Mandela traveled to Pictermaintzburg to speak
at the Altin-Africa conference, which resolved that he should write to the
prime minister Verwoerd requesting a non-racial national convention, and to
warn that should he not agree, there should be a national strike against South
Africa becoming a republic. As soon as he and his colleagues were acquitted in
the Treason trial, Nelson Mandela went underground and began planning a National
strike for 29, 30 and 31 March. In the face of massive mobilization of state
security the strike was called off early. In June 1961 he was asked to lead the
armed struggle and helped to establish Umkhonto Wesizwe (spear of the Nation).
On
11 January, 1962, using the adopted name David Motsamayi, Nelson Mandela
secretly left South Africa. He traveled around Africa and visited England to
gain support for the armed struggle. He received military training in Moro in
July, 1962. He was arrested in a police road block outside Howick on 5 August
while returning from Kwazulu-National where he briefed African National
congress president chief Albert Luibuli about his Trip. He was charged with
leaving the country illegally and inciting workers to strike. He was convicted
and sentence to five years imprisonment May 1963, he was transferred to Robben
Island and returned to Pretoria on 12 June. Within a month police raided a
secret hide-out in Rivonia used by Africa National congress and were arrested.
On
9 October, 1963, Nelson Mandela joined ten others on trial for sabotage in what
became known as the Rivonia trial. Which facing the penalty his words to the
convert at the end of his famous ‘speech from the Dock’ on 20 April 1964 became
immortalized it reads thus.
“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 l live for and to achieve. But if needs be it is an ideal for which lam
prepared to die”.
From
the above extract, it is clear that all times Nelson Mandela was always prepared
to die for his service to humanity.
On
11 June 1964, Nelson Mandela and seven other accused; Waller Sisulu, Ahmed Kath
rada, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhtaba, Oenis Goldberg, Ehas Motsoaledi and Andraw Mlargeni
were convicted and the next day were sentenced to life imprisonment. Denics
holdberg was sent to Pretoria prison because he was white, while the other went
to Robben Island. Nelson Mandela mother died in 1968 and his eldest son Thembi
in 1969. He was not allowed to attend their funerals.
On
31 march 1982, nelson Mandela was transferred to pollsmoor prison in Cape Town
with Sisulu, Mhlaba and Mlangeni. Kathrada joined them in October. When he
refunded to the prison in November 1985, after prostate surgery, Nelson Mandela
was held alone. Justice Minister Kobiewe Tsee visited him in hospital. Later
nelson Mandela initiated talks about an ultimate meeting between apartheid government
and the African National congress. What a determination, he was still tifhting
even from the prison. Indeed this greet African is a rate germ. His exemplary
leadership should be emulated by other world leaders especially in third world
countries.
On
12 august 1988, he was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with
tuberculosis. After more than three months in two hospitals, he was transferred
on 7 December 1988 to a house of Victor Verster prison near paarl where he
spent to last 14 months of imprisonment. He was released from and gates on
Sunday 11 February 1990, nine days after the un banning of the Africa national
congress and the pan Africanist congress and nearly four months after the
release of his remaining Rivonia comrades. Throughout his imprisonment, he had
rejected at least three conditional offers of release.
Nelson
Mandda immense himself in official talks to end while white rule end in 1991
was elected African national he and president F.W Deklerk jointly won the Noble
peace prize and on 27 April 1994, he voted for the first time in his life. On
the 10th day of May, 1994, he was inaugurated south Africa’s first democratically elected
president. On his 80th birthday in 1998, he married Graca Machel,
his third wife.
Nelson
Mandela spent 27 years as a political prisoner in south Africa before becoming
a remarkable twist, the country’s first black president. He used his stature to
help dismantle apartheid in south Africa and formed a new multi-racial
democracy in the country. His auto biography, long Walk to Freedom was also
published 1994.
True
to his promise, nelson Mandela stepped down 1999 after one term as president.
He continued to work with the nelson Mandela children’s fund he set up in 1995
and established the nelson Mandela foundation and the Mandela Rhodes
foundation. In April 2007, his grand son Mandela Mandela became head of Nvozo
Traditional council at a ceremony at the Mvezo Great place.
Nelson
Mandela never wavered in his devotion to democracy, equality and learning. Despite
terrible provocation, he never answered racism with racism. His life has been an inspiration all who are
oppressed and deprived; to all who are opposed to oppression and deprivation.
He died on the 5th day of December, 2013 at the age of 95. A great
Iroko has indeed fallen. What a great loss to South African in particular and
Africa in general.
During
the lifetime of Nelson Mandela, two principles governed his life at
Mahekezweni. These two principles were chieftaincy and church. These two dot
times existed in uneary harmony, although he did not see them as antagonistic.
For him, chieftaincy was not so much a system of beliefs as it was the powerful
creed of a single man. He was played in the movies by Idris Elba (Mandela: Long
walk to freedom, 2013) Morgan Freeman (Nicty, 2009), Sidney Poitier (Mandela
and de Klerk, 1997) and Denny glover (Mandela, 1987).
He
was circumcised at the age of sixteen in accordance with the tradition and
custom on Xhosa. According to that trading to that tradition, an uncircumcised
xhosa man is a contradiction in terms, for he is not considered a man at all,
but a boy. It is not a surgical procedure, but a lengthy and celebrate initial in
preparation for man hood. As a xhosa, Mandela counted his years as a man from
that date of circumcision.
Though
this great leader is dead, Mandela remained a celebrated figure in South
African and throughout the world until his death. His autobiography Long walk
to Freedom, was published in 1994. This write up will not be complete if some
of the quotes of this great leader are omitted. Some of Nelson Mandela’s
popular quotes include.
1. Education
is the most powerful weapon which up can use to change the world.
2. When
a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but
to become an out law”
3. “I
learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The
brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers fear.
4. Do
not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back
up again”
5. “Overcoming
poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like slavery and
Apartheid, poverty is not natural, it is man-made and it can be over come and
eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation
to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom”.
6. “If
you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head if you
talk to him in his language that goes to his heart”.
In
conclusion, the most cherished quote of Nelson Mandela is the one when he was
released from the prison. Then he said and I quote.
I have walked
that long road to freedom. I have trial not to falter; I have made missteps
along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great
hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a
moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me,
to look back on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for a moment, for
with freedom come responsibilities, and I can dare not linger for my long work
is not ended”.
It
is safe to assert from the above quote of Nelson Mandela, that he never lost
hope in his dream of transformation. He continued this struggle until his death
notwithstanding the challenges.