Nelson Mandela; A New Chapter

Born to the royal family of the Thembu Tribe in Mvezo or British South Africa, on July 18th 1918, Nelson Mandela was a South-African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist who was the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. His original name was Rohiliala but he got his new name, Nelson, by his teacher at a Catholic school at the age of 7. He was a very hardworking student and would go on to become a law major at the university of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand. Later on, he became a lawyer in Johannesburg during which he introduced himself to Anti-Colonial and African Nationalist movements.

In 1943, Mandela joined the ANC (African Nationalist Congress) and co-founded its Youth League in 1944. He initiated a movement called the "University of Robben Island" enabling prisoners to share their expertise and knowledge with Nelson to himself debated socio-political topics with his comrades. Nelson Mandela, made it his life mission to over throw away Apartheid. Mandela rose to the rank of president of the ANC receiving wide spread attention for his role in the 1952 Defiance Campaign and 1955 Congress of the people. In 1956, he was arrested for treason and served 5 years in prison. After discharge in 1961, along with his fellow ANC members and the South African Communist Party (SACP), he co-founded the militant group called MKMVA.

Unfortunately, he was re-arrested in 1962 but this time sentenced to life-imprisonment for conspiring against the nation. Nelson Mandela spent the next 27 years of his life in prison transferred from Robben Island Prison onto Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. During 18 years of staying at Robben Island Prison, he and his comrades were physically and verbally abused by the white guards.

Mandela's eyesight also permanently damaged due to having to work at the long line without glasses. None the less, his influence as a huge human rights activist grew despite all the terrible conditions, he had to endure in Robben Island Prison. Nelson rose to become a prominent figure among ANC prisoners on the island and expanded his influence beyond that by joining a group representing the whole Robben Island political prisoners called Ulundi.

In 1982, he and some other ANC prisoners would be transferred to the Pollsmoor Prison. In Pollsmoor prison, he wrote and read tiressely reaching out to the black community and people of other races. In the 1980s, South Africa burst out due to socio-political problems, violence burst out across the country. Due to the British prime minister, Nelson was released only if he rejected violence as a political weapon but Nelson declined which resulted in him being in **Solitary Confinement** in Victor Vester Prison. Things got even better there. He had a personal chef and also was allowed to have many visitors where he got himself released by the president of Africa at that time.

In 1991, Nelson became the president of the ANC and collaborated with the ex-president to end Apartheid peacefully and promising equal rights to everyone. Their fight for the peace of South Africa earned both of them the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. His tiressly fighting for what is right eventually paid of in the 1994 general elections which granted the right to vote to all races in South Africa. The ANC won and Nelson Mandela became the first black president of the country. 

He had two daughters and two sons with his first wife, Evelyn Mase, and two daughters with his second wife, Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela. He had four stepchildren from his marriage to Graca Machel. Only three of his children are still alive – his daughters Makaziwe, Zenani and Zindzi. Mandela’s father had four wives and a total of 13 children. He had three full sisters, three half-brothers and six half-sisters. His father was Nkosi (Chief) Mphakanyiswa Mandela and his mother was Nosekeni Mandela.

In 1999, Nelson Mandela withdrew from politics. In the same year he retired, he found the Nelson Mandela Organization. In South Africa, he is also known as the "Father of the nation". His pass away in 2013 saddened the world and left many in tears but his status is a symbol of equality, peace and humanitarianism will stay forever.