The Life Of Nelson Mandela | A Kick Of History

Hi everyone! Welcome/welcome back to A Kick Of History! In today's post I will be telling the life story of an amazing person. Someone fought for peace and freedom among all, Nelson Mandela. Before we get into it, I would really appreciate it if you could subscribe or follow my blog so you can get a notification whenever I post! Now let's get on with the post. All my info is from this site: https://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography

Nelson (Rolihalha) Mandela was a child born into the Madiba clan which was in Mvezo. Mvezo is in the Eastern Cape and Mandela was born on July 18, 1918. His parents were Noqaphi Nosekeni and Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Mandela. Nkosi was the principal councilor to the Acting King of the Thembu. The Acting King was Jongintaba Dalindyebo. Sadly, in 1930 when Nelson was 12 years old his father died. He then became a ward of Jongintaba at the Great Place. After hearing stories from his elders about his ancestors during wars of resistance, Mandela had dreamed of making a contribution to the struggle of freedom for his people. 

Nelson went to school in Quno. Here, his teacher Miss Mdingane gave him the name of Nelson. This was in accordance with the custom of giving the children “Christian” names. Mandela had completed his Junior Certificate at the Clarkebury Boarding Institute. He then started his studies for a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University Of Fort Hare. But, he did not end up doing this as he was expelled for participating in a student protest. 

When Nelson returned to the Great Place the King was furious at himself and told him that if he didn’t return to Fort Hare he would arrange wives for him and his cousin named Justice. Even with this threat Nelson and Justice did not return to Fort Hare. Instead they ran away and went to Johannesburg, arriving there in 1941. While in Johannesburg they worked as mine security officers. After finishing his BA through the University of South Africa, he came back to Fort Hare and did his graduation in 1943. 

In the meantime, Mandela began studying for an LLB he was planning to take at the University Witwatersrand. But, by his own admission he was a bad student and ended leaving the university without even graduating in 1952. 

Nelson began getting increasingly politically involved in the year 1942, although he joined the African National Congress in 1944 when he helped the ANCYL.  In the same year Mandela was married to his first wife, Evelyn Mase. She was a nurse. They had two sons and two daughters, the first one died at infancy though. Although this couple had several kids together, they divorced in 1958.Soon enough, Mandela had risen to the ranks of the ANCYL and the ANC had adopted a more mass-based policy. This was called the Programme of Action in 1949. 

 

In the year 1952, Nelson Mandela was chosen to be the National Volunteer-In-Chief of the Defiance Campaign. This was with Maulvi Cachalia as his deputy. The campaign was to be a joint programme that was between the ANC and the South African Indian Congress. Mandela and 19 others were charged under the Suppression Of Communism Act. They were also sentenced to nine moths of hard work that was suspended for two whole years. 

All because of a two year diploma in law on his BA, Mandela was able to practice law. In August 1952 Nelson and a guy named Oliver Tambo started South Africa's first black law firm which was called 'Mandela & Tambo'.  

On December 5, 1956 Nelson Mandela was arrested in a police swoop. This ordeal soon lead to the Treason Trial which took place in the same year. People found themselves in the dock on the marathon trial. This trial only ended when the last 28 people were accused. Those 28 people, including Nelson, were freed on March 29, 1961. 

On the day of March 21, 1960 the police had killed 69 people who were unarmed in protest against the pass laws that were in place. This event led to the country's first ever state of emergency. They banned the ANC and the Pan Africanist Congress on the day of April 8. Mandela and the others in the Treason Trial were detained during the state of emergency. During the trial Mandela married his second wife, Winnie Madikizela. They were wed on June 14, 1958. They had two daughters together but got divorced in the year 1996.

A few days before the Treason Trial had ended Nelson went to speak at the All-in Africa Conference. This resolved that Mandela should write to the Prime Minister and request a national convention on a non-racial constitution. He also warned that he did not agree to a nation wide strike against South Africa being a republic. After this, Nelson and his colleagues were released of all charges in the Treason Trial. But, Mandela went underground in order plan his protect that was going to take place from the 29 to the 30 of March.

In the face of huge mobilization, Mandela's strike was called off. Nelson was then asked to lead in the armed struggle. He was also asked to help create a group called 'Spear of the Nation'. This group was launched in December of 1961 in the wake of a series of explosions. On January 11, 1962, using the name 'David Motsamayi' Nelson left South Africa in secret. He ended up travelling around Africa and went to England for support in his armed trouble. Mandela then managed to get some military training in Morocco and Ethiopia. He returned back to South Africa in July of 1962. But, Nelson was soon arrested again in a police roadblock that took place outside of Howick on August 5. 

After he was arrested, Nelson was charged with leaving the country without a permit and convincing workers to strike. Mandela ended up getting convicted and was charged with a sentence of five years imprisonment. He began serving his time at the Pretoria Local Prison. Nelson was then transferred to Robben Island in 1963 but returned to Pretoria again on the 12 of June on the same year. On October 9, 1963, Nelson Mandela joined 10 others in trial for what had become known as the Rivonia Trial. While facing a death penalty, Mandela's words to the court at the end of his speech "Speech From The Dock" became immortalized.

"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."

On the day of August 12, 1988 Nelson Mandela was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with tuberculosis. After 3+ months in two hospitals he was taken to the Victor Verster Prison which was near Peal. It was here, that Mandela spent his last 14 months of imprisonment. He was released from prison on Sunday, February 11, 1990. In 1993 Nelson and President FW de Klerk jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize.

On May 10, 1994 Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the first democratically elected president of South Africa! On Nelson's 80th birthday he married his third and final wife Graca Machel. And true to his promise to the people, Nelson stepped down after one term of presidency. He died in his home in Johannesburg on December 5, 2013.

Nelson Mandela never stopped his devotion for democracy, learning, and overall equality. He never answered racism with racism.  His life is an inspiration to many people and will continue to be. Let's all aim to be a little like Nelson! I hope you liked this post, and I will see y'all in the next one!