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Nelson

Mandela

(1918-2013)

teacher could not in the freedom movement. Before
pronounce the name long, Mandela married Sisulu's cou-
Rolihlahla, so he cal- sin Evelyn and set up home with her.
led the boy "Nelson".
By the end of 1942 Mandela had
At the age of 21 Nelson obtained a B.A. degree, although he
attended Fort Hare, a says that he learned more from Gaur
college for the cream Radebe his work colleague. Radebe
of African society introduced him to the African Natio-
where the objective nal Congress (ANC) and its struggle
was to produce "black to defend the black population. Man-
Englishmen". For the dela now found his true calling.
For the majority of a population to first time in his life he wore pyja-
dominate the minority might seem mas, brushed his teeth with a tooth- Black South Africans were not
in the natural order of things. But brush and toothpaste, and enjoyed allowed to form political parties and
the oppression of the majority by a hot showers and flushing toilets. As could not vote. Compared to the
minority has also been a common well as being an excellent student, he white population, they suffered from
occurrence in human history. The was keen on football, long-distance inferior education, inferior health
most extreme case was in South running and boxing. Here he would care, low wages and high rents.
Africa, where from 1948 to 1990 14% meet for the first time another key Almost 90% of the land belonged
of the population passed laws exclu- player in the future South African to the whites. Unable to live off the
ding the other 86% from political freedom movement, Oliver Tambo. land, the blacks flowed into the cities
power during the apartheid era. During his second year at Fort Hare, looking for work and living in over-
he was elected as a student represen- crowded townships.
The man who became president of tative but the college principal threa-
South Africa after apartheid had tened to expel him. In any event, it Many young, educated and ambi-
spent the previous twenty-seven was the end of term and the princi- tious blacks, like Mandela, were
years in prison as a political detai- pal gave him the summer holidays to frustrated by apartheid. During the
nee. That man -- Nelson Mandela consider his position. 1940s, Mandela studied for a law de-
-- became a global icon for the gree at university, meeting many of
triumph of good over evil, for apar- The summer of 1940 proved deci- his future colleagues in the struggle
theid, like nazism, will forever bear sive. Back in his home village, the against racism. It should also be said
the stigma of evil. tribal regent told Nelson and his cou- that many white liberals belonged to
sin Justice that he had arranged for the anti-apartheid group. By 1947 he
Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 them to be married to two local girls. was a member of the ANC Executive
July 1918 in the Eastern Cape Pro- The two young men were horrified. Committee.
vince of South Africa. His father, They stole a cow and after selling it
a chief of the Thembu clan of the fled to Johannesburg 850 kilometres In 1948 the Nationalist Party was
Xhosa people, died when Rolihlahla to the north. The regent made seve- elected to power in South Africa and
was 9, asking the regent of the clan ral attempts to force them to return immediately codified the laws on
to take care of his son who had alrea- but, particularly through Walter apartheid to enforce white supre-
dy been earmarked as a promising Sisulu, Mandela survived and even- macy. This meant that ambu-
student who should receive a tho- tually became a clerk in a law firm. lances, buses, toilets, even zoos and
rough education. A local Methodist Sisulu was to be another key player beaches, were segregated. But most

1 40 History