Nelson Mandela: Gandhi of South Africa | From spending 27 years in prison to becoming President - Madiba
He was not a man, he was a movement. He was not a leader, but a visionary. His name was Nelson Mandela.
Whenever the world history speaks of those personalities who, through their resolve, sacrifice, and struggle, single-handedly awakened a nation's consciousness, the name of Nelson Mandela is taken with honor and inspiration. Nelson Mandela was not an ordinary individual; he was a visionary who stood strong in the toughest tests of humanity. He not only liberated South Africa from the darkness of apartheid but also taught the world that change can be brought through forgiveness, tolerance, and love. His life is an example of struggle and principles, which future generations will look upon as a beacon of light. His life is an example of struggle and principles, which future generations will look upon as a beacon of light.
The Early Life of Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the Transkei region of South Africa. He belonged to the Madiba clan. His mother's name was Nonqaphi Nosekeni and his father's name was Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela, who was the chief advisor to Acting King Jongintaba Dalindyebo of the Thembu people.
Mandela was given the name “Nelson” by his first primary school teacher, Miss Mdingane. At the age of 12, his father passed away, and he was raised under the guardianship of the Regent at the Great Place of Mqhekezweni. He was sent to excellent schools and began his BA studies at Fort Hare University. Due to participating in a student protest, he was expelled from the university. Afterwards, the Regent ordered him either to return or get married, so he fled to Johannesburg with his cousin Justice. There, in 1941, he worked as a security guard at a gold mine and later became a legal clerk at the law firm Witkin, Edelman & Sidelsky. During this time, he completed his BA through UNISA.
In 1943, he enrolled in Wits University for an LLB. He was a weak student, but in 1944, he began actively participating in politics when he helped in establishing the ANC Youth League. That same year, he also got married and started struggling to support his family.
The Fight Against Apartheid and Legal Activism
By 1952, when the university asked him to pay 27 pounds in fees or leave his studies, he already had three children. In 1962, he resumed his studies and 27 years later, while in prison, earned his LLB degree from UNISA.
In 1952, he participated in the Defiance Campaign against apartheid laws and was appointed National Volunteer-in-Chief. Later, he and 19 others were sentenced to nine months in prison, which was suspended for two years. In August 1952, he and Oliver Tambo established South Africa's first black law firm, Mandela & Tambo. That same year, he was banned for the first time and had to seek government permission to leave Johannesburg. In 1955, when the Freedom Charter was adopted, 156 people were arrested for treason. This trial lasted 4.5 years, and on 29 March 1961, all were acquitted.
On 21 March 1960, after the police killed 69 unarmed protesters in Sharpeville, the ANC and PAC were banned. Mandela appealed to the government not to declare South Africa a Republic on 31 May 1961, but to consider a non-racial constitution. When his appeal was ignored, he called for a nationwide strike from 29–31 March. In June 1961, he was asked to lead the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, which was formally launched on 16 December 1961. On 11 January 1962, Mandela secretly left the country for military training and to gain support for the armed struggle from African nations.
On 5 August 1962, he was arrested and on 7 November 1962, was sentenced to five years for leaving the country and inciting a strike.
On 11 July 1963, police raided one of his secret hideouts, and on 9 October, he was included in the Rivonia Trial, where he was charged with sabotage. On 12 June 1964, he and seven others were sentenced to life imprisonment. During his imprisonment, his mother and eldest son died, but he was not allowed to attend their funerals.
He spent 18 years on Robben Island. In 1985, while at Pollsmoor Prison, he had to be hospitalized, where he began talks with Justice Minister Kobie Coetsee on whether the government was ready to negotiate with the ANC. In 1988, he contracted TB (tuberculosis) and three months later was transferred to Victor Verster Prison, where he spent his final 14 months of imprisonment. On 11 February 1990, he was released, nine days after the ban on ANC and PAC was lifted.
Nobel Peace Prize and Democratic Elections
After this, other political prisoners were also released and exiled leaders returned. The ANC began negotiations with the government. For this effort, Nelson Mandela and President FW de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. On 27 April 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections in which Mandela cast his vote.
India and Nelson Mandela: A Bond Beyond Borders
The relationship between India and Nelson Mandela was not just political, but ideological as well. Mandela himself acknowledged that Mahatma Gandhi was his greatest source of inspiration. It was the Satyagraha movement initiated by Gandhi in South Africa that taught him the first lesson in the fight against injustice. Mandela internalized Gandhi's ideas and made them the foundation of his own struggle. He not only drew inspiration from India's independence movement but also formed a deep connection with the Indian people. India, too, consistently raised its voice against apartheid on international platforms and supported Mandela’s struggle by imposing economic and diplomatic sanctions on South Africa. Due to these deep ideological and emotional ties, the Government of India honored Nelson Mandela with its highest civilian award, the ‘Bharat Ratna’, in 1990. It was a historic moment when India not only honored a foreign citizen but paid deep homage to a person who dedicated his life to human rights, freedom, and equality. The Bharat Ratna is not just an award; it is recognition of a soul dedicated to the service of humanity. Nelson Mandela was truly deserving of this honor, for he proved with his life that no matter how tough the struggle, if the path is one of truth and justice, then victory is certain.
On 10 May 1994, he became the country’s first democratically elected President. After serving one term, he voluntarily stepped down and spent the remainder of his life working on HIV, education, children, and leadership. On 5 December 2013, he took his last breath at his home in Johannesburg.
Nelson Mandela is no longer among us, but his words remain relevant even today:
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
“As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.”
India honoring him with the Bharat Ratna was not merely an award, but a recognition of the universal values he lived and fought for. It is also a message that whenever someone stands up against injustice, discrimination, and violence with truth, courage, and compassion, they transcend all boundaries and become a hero of all humanity.
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