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Nelson
Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC)
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Mandela was born in 1918 of the
Royal family of a Thembu chief, in the Transkei (Umtata).
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Mandela was also educated at
Fort-Hare University College. It was in school that he was given a name Nelson.
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He was supposed to take over the
chieftainship among the Thembu but he made up his mind never to rule over an
oppressed people.
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Arrangements were being made for his
marriage to a girl chosen by the paramount chief who was his guardian, but
Mandela decided to run away to Johannesburg.
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In Johannesburg he met friends after
he qualified in law for example; Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo who were to
become close friends.
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It was at this time that he joined
the ANC and was instrumental in establishing its Youth League (ANC- YL), of
which he became a secretary in 1947.
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The 1950(s), where busy years for
Mandela for example as a member of the ANC executive committee.
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He was actively involved in the
organization of protests, demonstrations, strikes, boycotts to force the
government to abandon its racial policies.
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In 1955, Mandela and others drafted
the Freedom Charter. It stated that South Africa was for all who lived in it regardless
of the colour of their skin.
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The Charter called for equal rights
of all races, equitable sharing of the country's wealth and equal human rights
for all.
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In 1956, Mandela and other
nationalists were arrested and charged with high treason. In 1960, he took up
leadership of the ANC.
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Aware that he risked arrest and
detention, Mandela went underground from where he appeared to address meetings
in various parts of the country.
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It was during this time that he
began to question the black people use of non-violent methods of protest when
the government responded to such protests with naked force, killings and
injuring protestors.
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In 1961, Mandela and his colleagues
formed an armed wing of the ANC known as the Spear of the Nation or "Umkhoto
we Sizwe"
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Mandela believed that the ANC policy
of non-violence was meaningless and unrealistic as a response to Apartheid.
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At the end of 1961, the spear of the
nation carried out its first sabotage attack when its members exploded bombs at
targets in various cities of South Africa.
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In 1962, Mandela secretly left South
Africa. He traveled to Ethiopia where he addressed the Pan African Freedom
Conference.
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He later visited London where he met
leaders of the Labour and Liberal Party and briefed them about the suffering of
the non-whites at the hands of the Apartheid regime.
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On 5th August 1962,
Mandela was charged with inciting African workers to strike and he was
sentenced to life imprisonment on the Robben Island prison. At his trial, he
said; the ideal of Liberty ... it is the Ideal for which I am prepared to
live for, work for and achieve, but if needs be, it is the Ideal for which I am
prepared to die.
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Throughout his imprisonment, Mandela
led his friends in the struggle for their rights as prisoners and their
conditions were gradually improved.
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To the outside world and
particularly South African blacks, he was a symbolic leader of the ANC,
although Oliver Tambo was the actual ANC president.
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Due to world opinion and pressure
Mandela was brought to the mainland prison in 1982.
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On 11th February 1990 the
newly elected President of South Africa F.W. De' Klerk released Mandela and all
other political prisoners unconditionally. De' Klerk also unbanned Political
Parties started by non- whites including the ANC.
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Immediately after his release, he
visited the ANC headquarters in Lusaka where he was elected Deputy President of
the organization.
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In this capacity, Mandela travelled
all over the world appealing to governments not to relax dialogue moves and
sanctions against South Africa until Apartheid has been completely dismantled
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Mandela later became the first black
South African President in 1994 and also won the elections as the president of
the ANC party.
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Mandela's struggle for freedom and
liberation were inspiring to the Africans. He has been a symbol for freedom and
as a man of courage.
Mandela had prepared to fight against white
domination, struggle for the African people, wanted a free society with equal
opportunities and was prepared to die for that
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