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A hero of our times
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela casts his vote in the country's first democratic elections.
© The African National Congress
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, or Madiba as he is fondly known in South Africa, is an icon for human rights and democracy across the globe. Born in 1918 in the Eastern Cape, Nelson Mandela is South Africa's first democratically elected president - and the oldest. Sworn in as president in 1994, Mandela spent 5 years in office before retiring at the age of 82. He spent the bulk of his life fighting against the oppression of non-white South Africans by the apartheid regime, of which 27 years were spent in prison for ‘crimes' of sabotage against the oppressive state. Born into a royal family, leadership is something that came naturally to Mandela. But instead of becoming a clan chief as he was trained to do, he stepped out of the traditional realm to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree at Fort Hare University. Here he met fellow African National Congress (ANC) activist Oliver Tambo and went on to head Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the ANC. By 1960, the apartheid government banned the ANC and in 1964 Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage. In 1990, President F.W. de Klerk reversed the ban on the ANC and Madiba was released from prison. They both were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1993 for the peaceful termination of apartheid and South Africa held its first democratic election in 1994. Today, former president Nelson Mandela is still the mouthpiece of justice, speaking out against national and international concerns. His organisations, The Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and the Nelson Mandela Rhodes Foundation all aim to uplift South Africans in need. He is part of The Elders, a group of well-known statesmen and women who campaign globally for peace, children and the fight against HIV/Aids.
