Nelson Mandela

 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Xhosa: [xolilala Mande:la]; 18 July 1918 to 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician who was the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first president of a black race and was the first president elected in a democratically elected election. His government was focused on fostering reconciliation as well as removing the history of apartheid. Theologically, an African nationalist and socialist Mandela served as the president of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 until 1997.A Xhosa, Mandela was born to the Thembu royal family in Mvezo, Union of South Africa. He was a law student at the University of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand before working as an attorney in Johannesburg. In Johannesburg, he was involved in the fight against colonialism and African nationalist politics. He joined the ANC in 1943, and co-founding the Youth League in 1944. Mandela and the ANC declared their intention to take over apartheid's only white-only government, known as the National Party. He was appointed as the president of the ANC's Transvaal branch and rose to prominence for his involvement in the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People. He was repeatedly detained for inciting seditious behavior, but was not prosecuted in the 1956 Treason trial. Inspired by Marxism, he secretly joined the banned South African Communist Party (SACP). Although initially committed to peaceful protest, in association with the SACP he co-founded the militant uMkhonto we Sizwe in 1961 and led a sabotage campaign against the state. In 1962, he was taken into custody and sentenced to life prison. He also served 27 years in prison for conspiring to overthrow of the state. His time in prison was divided between Pollsmoor Prison, Victor Verster Prison, and Robben Island. In 1990, President F. W. de Klerk freed Mandela amid growing international and domestic pressures and fears of racial conflict. Mandela as well as de Klerk led efforts to negotiate an end to apartheid. This led to the 1994 general election that was multiracial that Mandela was able to lead the ANC to victory and was elected president. Leading a broad coalition government which promulgated a new constitution Mandela emphasised reconciliation between the country's racial groups and established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to examine past human rights violations. On the economic front, his administration maintained the liberal policies of its predecessor, despite his socialist views as well as introducing measures to encourage land reform, tackle the effects of poverty, and improve healthcare. Mandela was mediator in the Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing Trial, and was secretary-general for the Non-Aligned Movement between 1998 and 1999. He resigned his second presidential term and was succeeded by his deputy Thabo Mbeki. Mandela became a more senior politician and focused his efforts on the issue of poverty and HIV/AIDS through the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Mandela was a controversial figure for all of his time. Although critics on the right accused him of being a communist terrorist , and those from the left deemed him too eager to negotiate and reconcile with those who supported apartheid, he gained international acclaim for his advocacy. He is widely regarded as a symbol of democracy and social justice. He has been awarded more than 250 honours among them the Nobel Peace Prize. In South Africa, he is highly regarded and is known as Madiba which is the Thembu clan's name. He is also referred to as the "Father Of The Nation".