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Nelson Mandela - Legend in our Own Life Times

“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 comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended.” — Nelson Mandela

What makes this man such a towering leader? Nelson Mandela’s famous quotes, his speeches, his time in prison, his early life all have a hand in moulding him into the person we know today as the first black South African president. His name has become synonymous with South Africa and in particular Cape Town due to his imprisonment on Robben Island, but there is so much more to this man, not just a policital leader, but statesman extraordinaire and charity benefactor.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in a small village in Transkei, Eastern Cape, South Africa on the 18 July 1918. He became Paramount Chief ’s ward to be groomed to assume high office on the death of his father. His father was a member for the royal council of the Thembu people, a position for which he was groomed from birth and which Mandela was also destined to inherit.

However, influenced by the cases that came before the Chief’s court, he determined to become a lawyer. On hearing the elders’ stories of his ancestors valour during the wars of resistance in defence of their fatherland, he dreamed also of making his own contribution to the freedom struggle of his people.

He finally completed his LLB at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, becoming interested further in politics at this time. In 1944 he helped found the ANC Youth League, whose Programme of Action was adopted by the ANC in 1949.

After years of being actively associated with the ANC, Nelson Mandela was arrested, having returned to South Africa from Algeria, where he was undergoing military training. He was arrested for leaving the country illegally and for inciting a strike and in November 1962, was sentenced to five years imprisonment.

While serving his sentence, he was charged, in the Rivonia trial, with sabotage and sentenced to life imprisonment. He served his time on Robben Island.

“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the 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.”

During his imprisonment, Mandela became a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement among South Africa’s black population and among the international community that opposed apartheid. Mandela rejected several government offers to allow him to leave prison on the condition that he renounce violence. Finally, on 11th February 1990 Mandela was released from prison and instantly became an international celebrity, walking with his then wife Winnie Mandela into the spotlight of world conscience on the steps of City Hall, Cape Town, alongside his long-term friend, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 with F.W. deKlerk, South Africa’s last white president. Their combined efforts ended apartheid and brought about a peaceful transition to non-racial democracy in South Africa.

Three years after his release, South Africans of all races were allowed to vote for the first time in a national election. They selected Mandela as their president, giving him 62% of the vote. The same person who was once was a symbol of black resistance in South Africa later eventually became the nation’s first black president. Crime increased during his term, but the violent war between the races ended.

“There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” — Nelson Mandela, Former Prime Minister of South Africa