Nelson Mandela: A Biography of His Life, Struggles, and Legacy

This essay provides a biography of Nelson Mandela, also known as Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, a prominent political leader and philanthropist who served as the President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. It discusses his early life in Thembu, his education in law at the University of Fort Hare, and his involvement in the struggle against apartheid. The essay highlights his role in ending injustice towards black people, his release from prison in 1990, and the numerous honors he received, including the Nobel Peace Prize. Mandela's life is portrayed as an inspiration, marked by his devotion to democracy and his fight against oppression and deprivation. The essay references various sources to support the biographical details and the significance of Mandela's contributions.

Running Head: BIOGRAPHY OF NELSON MANDELA 0
Biography of Nelson Mandela

BIOGRAPHY OF NELSON MANDELA 1
Originally Known as Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, one of the most extensive and profound
political leader and the philanthropist who served South America as a President for the period of
1994 to 1999. Who would know a black would run the state and become a first elected in a fully
representative democratic election. Till date he is known as the most popular person amongst the
world. Born and brought up in Thembu in the year 1918 as a member of the royal family in
Mvezo, British South Africa, he continued his studies in the field of law at the University of Fort
Hare before working as a lawyer in Johannesburg (Davis, 2018). The core feature of Nelson
Mandela is that he is considered as the father of the democratic South Africa and people admire
him for his skills with which he could brought the nation together previously divided by
apartheid. He brought the vision to forgive and forge a new nation. In the year 1914 his
contribution was epic in terms of ending the injustice towards the black people penetrated by the
National Party commonly known as the expression of the white population (Abel, 2015).
During his childhood his father Gadla Henry was the local chief and councilor to
monarch. The turning point in the Nelson’s life was when his father was also sacked for
corruption and he was told that he lost his job. The early childhood life of Mandela went through
the domination of Traditional Thembu and taboos prevailing at that time. Both of his parents
belonged to the Christian community but were illiterate. At the age of seven his mother sent him
to local Methodist school. Mandela was given the English name Nelson only after that. At the
age of nine his father died due to an undiagnosed ailment in Qunu. Her mother left him under the
guardianship of the Thembu regent where he was brought by Thembu regent and his wife along
with their own kids. Though he was far from his mother, Thembu regent’s wife took even care
of him. Nelson used to attend several Christian activities and services and hence Christianity
became one of the most important life aspects of Mandela.

BIOGRAPHY OF NELSON MANDELA 2
In the year 1939 Mandela began to work on his BA degree at the University of Fort Hare,
one of the most prestigious institutions in Eastern Cape along with 150 students more. The
subjects that were studied by him were English, anthropology, politics, native administration and
Roman Dutch Law itself. In those times Mandela used to live in Wesley House Dormitory, with
K.D. Mantazima as well as Oliver Tambo who stood by him for decades (Egan, 2018). Apart
from the courses he used to take up ballroom dancing, uses to teach Bible to the local students
and also performed in the play of Abraham Lincoln. His friends were connected to African
National Congress who was deliberately wishing an independent South Africa, yet he kept
himself away from anti-imperialist movement (Clark & Worger, 2016).
In 1941 Mandela also worked as a night watchman at Crown Mines. Earning a small
wage, Mandela rented a room in the house of the Xhoma family in the Alexandera Township.
Despite being surrounded by poverty, pollution and crime (Mandela, 2016). Thereafter due to
the amid growing domestic as well as international pressure, and fear of the civil war led
President F.W. de Klerk released him in the year 1990. Mandela was a controversial figure for
much of his life, although there was a time when the critics announced him as communist
terrorists and those on the far left. For the work he contributed in the field of justice he received
almost 250 honors including amongst which the major was Nobel Peace Prize. Meanwhile
Mandela became the subject of the cult of personality (Sampson, 2018).
His entire life was a struggle but it over vamps the contribution made by his as the
President of the South Africa (Shelton & Renard, 2015). He is one of the configured
personalities and everyone remembers him in a good note. His life is an inspiration and his
devotion towards the democracy was huge. He is a leader to all who are oppressed and

BIOGRAPHY OF NELSON MANDELA 3
depressed and to all who are opposed to oppression and deprivation (Sayed & Badroodien,
2017).

BIOGRAPHY OF NELSON MANDELA 4
References
Abel, R. (2015). Politics by other means: Law in the struggle against apartheid, 1980-1994.
Routledge.
Clark, N. L., & Worger, W. H. (2016). South Africa: The rise and fall of apartheid. Routledge.
Davis, J. (2018). Sanctions and apartheid: The economic challenge to discrimination.
In Economic Sanctions (pp. 173-184). Routledge.
Egan, A. (2018). Nelson Mandela: His Life and Legacy. La Civiltà Cattolica, English
Edition, 2(12), 57-68.
Mandela, N. (2016). NELSON MANDELA AND PATRICE LUMUMBA: A TALE OF TWO
MEN—“WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN”. CONCORD REVIEW, 31.
Sampson, A. (2018). Nelson Mandela: The Authorised Biography. Bentang Pustaka.
Sayed, Y., & Badroodien, A. (2017). The Mandela Legacy: Examined through the Shaping of
Teacher and Teacher Education Policy in the Immediate Post-Apartheid South Africa
Period (1994–1999). In Nelson Mandela (pp. 137-150). Brill Sense.
Shelton, M. S., & Renard, M. M. (2015). The relationship between psychological capital, reward
preferences and demographic variables within the nelson mandela metropole medical
industry. DRIVERS OF SMS MARKETING FOR LOYALTY CARD HOLDERS IN
SOUTH AFRICA, 120.