“Communists have always played an active role in the fight by colonial countries for their freedom, because the short-term objects of Communism would always correspond with the long-term objects of freedom movements.” (Mendala)
One of the great resistance leaders, who had the above qualities fulfilled in him is the former South African first black president, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, commonly known as Mendala . His leadership traits, behavior and the situations that prove him a good leader have been portrayed below. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela commonly known as Nelson Mandela was born to a tribal chief of Tembu – Henry Mandela. In 1944 he was married to Evelyn Ntoko Mase for 12 years and divorced her. After 2 years then.., he married Nomzamo Winnie Madikileza, a political activist and social worker, and divorced her too. He again married Graca Machel . From his first marriage he was blessed with three children, his two sons, and a daughter Makaziwe. And from his second marriage he was blessed with two daughters. His first Bachelor degree was from the University Of South Africa (UNISA) through correspondence in 1941 and later in 1942 he pursued his law degree at the University of Witwatersrand. By 1948 he failed his LLB (law degree) examination; and decided to practice as an attorney.
Life As A Prisoner
During 1940s and 1950s he rose rapidly through the ANC hierarchy, was frequently subject to detention, police harassments, and banning. ANC was outlawed in 1960, that’s when he went underground and a military wing was formed, Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). In 1962 Mandela was sentenced for five years of imprisonment for travel without valid travel documents whilst leaving South Africa and inciting Africans to strike. Two years later during his detension in 1964, was charged with treason and sentenced him to life imprisonment for giving a four-and-a-half hours of speech criticizing apartheid which is memorable. Living in a prison had the same meaning as living in the worst place in South Africa: Robben Island. ANC prisoners earned “D” classifications, prisoners who were the most dangerous and had the least rights. They were kept in cells with hay carpets and thin blankets as beds and iron buckets for toilets. The daily menu was a small portion of corn soup with extra vegetable or meat chop for dinner. The prisoners were given thin shirts from khaki and a pair shorts to wear, even during the winter, and were restricted from reading newspapers or magazines. The prisoners spent most of their time in a chalk mine, where they were made to work very hard. Being the leader of the group, Nelson received more harsh treatment than the others. He was kept 23 hours in his cell every day, merely lit by a lamp. Because of which he was unable to sleep or know what the time was. He was only allowed to have one visitor once in six MOnths and he was once not allowed to see his wife (Winnie) for two years. He was allowed to write and receive one letter every six months. The letters he received was screened by the guard, who would cut and remove the parts that were considered unsafe or effectively erasing.
Life As A Politician
“Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.” “We can wait for freedom but not education…” (Mandela). A revisionist interpretive approach enables us to understand Mandela’s greatness and his achievement – the deliberate assembly of a messianic personality that originates in a movement awareness of organizational short comes and willingness to compensate them by directing its own ideas through a charismatic individual. This is indeed part of Mandela’s story, for the ANC certainly began to intentionally contrive a public legend around. Mandela’s leadership in “defiance campaign” prior to his imprisonment, in 1952, was when collective decisions and activities attributed to his personal genius. Mandela himself took pains to ensure the media images matched the messages his comrades and he wished to project. Mandela’s political experiences came when he was enrolled to the University College (Fort Hare), he worked forward to obtain a Bachelor of degree in Fine Arts. During his course, he got elected as the Student’s Representative Council of the student political organization. Soon he was expelled, for participating in a protest in the campus (ANC archive). Because of this, he left to Johannesburg where he finally obtained his degree in BA. After that in 1942, he joined the African National Congress, during World War II. Nelson Mandela formed a group with other members of the ANC under the leadership of a colleague, Anton Lembede. The main focus of the group was to change the African National Congress into a mass movement. Mandela played a major role in many political endeavors, many anti-apartheid movements such as the Program of Action, a policy based initiative that was founded on the principles of non-violent “civil disobedience, boycott, strike, and non-co-operation”. In 1962, Mandela was nominated as the leader of the armed resistance group that was formed the same year known spear of the nation. Mandela explained his reasoning, he assessed the situation of South Africa, along with some of his colleagues, he came to a conclusion that: as long violence was inevitable in his country; it was considered unrealistic and wrong for African leaders to preach peace and non-violence when the government met their peaceful demands by force. In 1991 eventually he was elected as the President of the ANC. Later he was elected democratic manner as the President of the State of South Africa in 1994…
( The author is a freelancer. Views are his own)
