Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist. He served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. Widely regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice, he received more than 250 honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize.
About Nelson Mandela in brief
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist. He served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as the president of the African National Congress party from 1991 to 1997. Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Widely regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice, he received more than 250 honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Thembu clan name, Madiba, and described as the \”Father of the Nation\”. Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the village of Mvezo in Umtata, then part of South African’s Cape Province. His patrilineal great-grandfather, Ngubengcuka, was king of the Thembi people in the Transkeian Territories of modern Eastern Cape province. One of his sons named Mandela, was Nelson’s grandfather and a so-called “Hand House” branch of the Ixhiba clan. Because Mandela was the child of a cadet, the descendants of his cadet branch were ineligible to inherit the throne but recognised as hereditary councillors. Nelson Mandela’s father, Gadla Mphakiswa, was a polygamist with four wives. In 1926, Nelson was told that his father had lost his job for standing up to the white magistrate’s unreasonable demands.
He was also sacked for corruption by a governing magistrate after his predecessor was accused of corruption by his predecessor in 1915, and was appointed to the position of chief councillor to the monarch. Nelson was also known by his Xhosa term, “Troublemaker”, meaning troublemaker. In later years he became known as “Madiba” and his clan name was changed to “Thembu” Mandela was released from prison in 1990 after 27 years in prison, split between Robben Island, Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. He died on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95, in Johannesburg, South Africa. His wife, Winnie, is a former member of the ANC and a former First Lady of the South African National Party. Mandela is survived by his four children, three of whom are still living in South Africa and one of whom died in 2008 in a Johannesburg suburb of Johannesburg. The Mandela Foundation was set up in his honour in 2009. Mandela’s last will and testament was published on December 11, 2013. The Nelson Mandela Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping people in need of financial assistance and support. It is based at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and the Johannesburg University of the Arts and Sciences. The foundation is run by Mandela’s son, the former ANC president, Thabo Mbeki, and his son-in-law, former South African Prime Minister David Mabuza.
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This page is based on the article Nelson Mandela published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 10, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
