EuropaWorld 2/3/2001 Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, on the East Cape of South Africa in 1918, a member of the Xhosa-speaking Thembu tribe. His father was a councillor to Thembuland's acting chief and when he died, the young Nelson became the chief's ward. Raised according to tribal traditions, Nelson was himself groomed for chieftainship. Whether or not it was this that first instilled in Nelson Mandela the qualities of leadership he was later to exhibit it cannot be known. What is known, however, is that these qualities were to lead to changes in South Africa of a magnitude that few could have imagined.

Like all non-white citizens of South Africa of that time Nelson Mandela was subject to the savage discrimination of apartheid - the ruthless and legal separation of races. Educated at a British missionary school, Nelson later joined Fort Hare University from which he was suspended for taking part in a political protest. Refusing to be beaten by this, he completed his degree by correspondence. He gave up his chieftainship in order to avoid an arranged marriage and went on to qualify in law from the University of Witwatersrand in 1942. Two years later he joined the African National Congress (ANC) a black nationalist movement, fighting against the injustices of the white supremacist system. Together with the late Oliver Tambo, he helped form the ANC Youth League, becoming its president in 1950.

By 1952 Nelson Mandela had become the deputy national president of the ANC. He travelled the country recruiting volunteers for what became a massive civil-disobedience campaign against discriminatory legislation. After he was arrested and convicted for organising the campaign, Mandela was confined to Johannesburg. There he passed the bar exam, and with fellow activist Oliver Tambo, was instrumental in setting up South Africa's first black law firm.

As government persecution of the ANC grew, Mandela engineered the famous M Plan, which organised ANC members into a countrywide underground network. After the ANC was banned in 1960 after the Sharpeville massacre, Mandela went underground too. In 1961 he formed the ANC's military wing 'Umkhonto we Sizwe' ('Spear of the Nation') to pursue a course of violent economic sabotage against the government.

However, Mandela could not elude the government forever. After he was caught returning from an illegal trip abroad, where he had arranged for guerrilla training for his followers, he was again arrested. In 1962, he was convicted of illegal exit (he had left the country without a passport) and incitement to strike. He was sentenced to five years in prison with hard labour. While serving this sentence, he was subsequently charged with sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was 44 years old. By the time he was freed he would be 71. He would also have become an international symbol for human rights and justice.

During his trial, Mandela's passionate defence had attracted considerable international attention, which remained with him throughout his 27 year incarceration. His reputation grew as he consistently refused to compromise his political position or beliefs, despite offers of freedom. He became a figurehead for the fight against apartheid, which was steadily gaining international support. His refusal to become embittered by his imprisonment also inspired almost universal respect and acclaim.

When Nelson Mandela was finally released from prison in February, 1990, he immediately resumed the struggle for equality that he had started more than 4 decades earlier. As President of the ANC, he played a key role in negotiating South Africa's peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy. As the white-supremacist structures crumbled under international pressure, Mandela's focus on reconciliation rather than retribution was paramount in preventing a bloodbath.

In 1993, together with South African President F.W. de Clerk, Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of this achievement. It was no surprise when, a year later, at age 75, he was elected as president of South Africa in the first all-race elections. In 1996 Mandela signed the country's new constitution, which enshrines human rights guarantees and an end to racial discrimination. In the same year he divorced Winnie Madikizela, for many years a high-profile campaigner for both the ANC and her husband's freedom, whose reputaion has nonetheless been discredited in recent years. Two years later, on his 80th birthday, Nelson Mandela married Graca Machel, widow of former Mozambican president Samora Machel.

Mandela stepped down as president in June 1999, though he continues to be active in public life. He now lives in his native village enjoying the peace and freedom that have been his life's mission.