Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, byname Madiba

first black president of South Africa (1994–99)

His negotiations in the early 1990s with South African Pres. F.W. de Klerk helped end the
country’s apartheidsystem of racial segregation and ushered in a peaceful transition to
majority rule. Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993
for their efforts.

In 1944 he joined the African National Congress (ANC), a black-liberation group, and
became a leader of its Youth League.

In 1952, Mandela played an important role in launching a campaign of defiance against

South Africa’s pass laws, which required nonwhites to carry documents (known as passes,
pass books, or reference books) authorizing their presence in areas that the government
deemed “restricted” (i.e., generally reserved for the white population). He traveled
throughout the country as part of the campaign, trying to build support for nonviolent means
of protest against the discriminatory laws. In 1955 he was involved in drafting the Freedom
Charter, a document calling for nonracial social democracy in South Africa.

After the massacre of unarmed black South Africans by police forces at Sharpevillein 1960
and the subsequent banning of the ANC, Mandela abandoned his nonviolent stance and
began advocating acts of sabotage against the South African regime. He went underground
(during which time he became known as the Black Pimpernel for his ability to evade
capture) and was one of the founders of Umkhonto we Sizwe (“Spear of the Nation”), the
military wing of the ANC.

His speech garnered international attention and acclaim and was published later that year
as I Am Prepared to Die.

Shortly after his release, Mandela was chosen deputy president of the ANC; he became
president of the party in July 1991. Mandela led the ANC in negotiations with de Klerk to
end apartheid and bring about a peaceful transition to nonracial democracy in South Africa.

In April 1994 the Mandela-led ANC won South Africa’s first elections by universal suffrage,
and on May 10 Mandela was sworn in as president of the country’s first multiethnic
government. He established in 1995 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which
investigated human rights violations under apartheid, and he introduced housing, education,
and economic development initiativesdesigned to improve the living standards of the
country’s black population. In 1996 he oversaw the enactment of a new democratic
constitution. Mandela resigned his post with the ANC in December 1997, transferring
leadership of the party to his designated successor, Thabo Mbeki.

He was a founding member of the Elders, a group of international leaders established in

2007 for the promotion of conflict resolution and problem solving throughout the world.
Nelson Mandela International Day - 18th July.

Mandela’s writings and speeches were collected in :

I Am Prepared to Die

No Easy Walk to Freedom

The Struggle Is My Life

In His Own Words

His autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, was published in 1994.