Nelson Mandela
Published on Feb 11, 2016
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Nelson Mandela
1918-2013
Nelson Mandela was a South African freedom fighter and political activist who believed strongly in racial equality, a view that was greatly opposed in his lifetime by the South African government. I have chosen to do my assignment on him because he is an incredibly inspiring person who has affected millions of people to improve their lives and the lives of the people around them.
Nelson Mandela was born in the Xhosa village of Madiba in 1918. His father was the head councillor to the king of the Xhosa people.
Photo by Howdy, I'm H. Michael Karshis
When his father died Nelson was sent to an Afrikaans school and then to university in Fort Hare.
He was expelled from Fort Hare in 1940 for his part in a student strike that had the whole university not working for three days.
In 1952, he was arrested for supposed acts of terrorism, such as protesting unfair racial inequality.
He was sentenced to nine months in prison and was banned from leaving Johannesburg for six months. The banning orders were continually extended until he hadn't left the city in nine years.
In 1956, he and several other political activists were sentenced with high treason. His trial went on for four and a half years until he was finally pronounced 'not guilty'
Evading arrest for incitement, Mandela went underground. He and several other activists travelled secretly around the country organising a mass protest, and Mandela (nicknamed the Black Pimpernel at the time) remained a fugitive for the next 17 months.
On the 5th of August 1962, Mandela was captured near Howick, Natal. He was tried in Pretoria’s Old Synagogue and in November 1962 sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for incitement and illegally leaving the country. He began this sentence in Pretoria Central Prison.
While he was imprisoned police raided his home and arrested eight of his fellow activists. He was brought from prison to stand trial with the others and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
He carried out this sentence on Robben Island, the highest-security prison in South Africa at the time. He served 27 years in prison before being released.
Photo by Celestine Chua
