The Legend of Rolihlahla Madiba: The African Who Had Nine Lives
The story of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, who is also known as the man with many names, and his long walk to freedom for the people of South Africa, to date, remains one of extraordinary preservation and forbearance. An exciting story of extraordinary things done by an ordinary man of the Xhosa tribe who had written his mark of bravery and fight for emancipation on the pages of time.
Come along to find out why a man’s tribe is bigger than his own father’s name. Learn the story of the man who defied death and confinement to save the black Africans apartheid in South Africa.
His Birth
Madiba was born in a small village that hovered over the banks of the Mbashe River, somewhere in the Umutata distinct, near the Transkei Capital in South Africa, on the 18th of July 1918. On the day of his birth, his father had sung loudly, shouting to the neighbors to come to celebrate his good fortune. “it’s a boy, it’s a boy. I’ve got a son now, I’m soon going to be richer!” It was a strange proclamation. A strange thing to say at the birthing ceremony of your child. But to the people of Mvezo who lived near the Mbashe River, it was perfectly normal, and they understood his joy rather immensely.
His father, Gadla Nosekeni Nongaphi’s excitement was extremely profound. In those days, a son was like a revered treasure. It was believed that only a son could make a man wealthier as the child would grow to tend more animals. The more the sons, the merrier.
More than this, only sons were believed to hold the age-old secret of the land when they came of age. Gadla, with this knowledge in mind, invited the entire village to celebrate with him. if only they had known the destiny that young Madiba had, and the history he’d rewrite for the future and people of South Africa, they’d have celebrated for weeks unending.
On the day of his birth, he was named “Rolihlahla”, which loosely translates to mean “troublemaker”. Rolihlahla’s father had named his son a troublemaker as if he could peek into the future of young Mandela and the role Rolihlahla would play in the future of his people and South Africa.
Image Source: nelsonmandela
Rolihlahla’s father was no ordinary man as well. Gadhla was the chief of the village until he was charged with insubordination by the white magistrate when he was involved in a dispute with one of his subjects over an Ox. The white magistrate upon seeing that Gadhla would not bow to his stifling rules, had him deposed and stripped him of his possessions as chief. Following the unpleasant circumstances, Rolihlahla, together with his siblings had to relocate to his mother’s village in Qunu. The village where the frontiers of his destiny’s story were set to begin.
Mandela’s Education
In those days, the Xhosa people were conservative and did not like to go to school. But Gadhla, who had once served as the principal councilor to the Acting King of the Thembu people, Jongintaba Dalindyebo, had a foreknowledge of the value and privilege that education offered everyone. He admired the priest, clerks, teachers, and desired for his son to be like that someday; Most preferably a priest.
So, when George Mbekala, a good friend of the family, suggested that Rolihlahla should be enrolled in school, Gadhla obliged. Even though he had no money for school books and the required school uniform, he became creative and decided to opt for a rather strange alternative. He asked his wife to bring one of his old trousers, and scissors. When Rohilahla’s mother returned with the scissors, he cut his big trousers to fit the little boy and tied twine around his waist to hold the trousers in place.
“There, that will do for now, until I have enough money to get you your shorts”.
When Rolihlahla reached the gates of the school, he was faced with something he did not expect. His name was changed in school by Miss Mdingane who could not pronounce his native name ‘Rolihlahla’. She gave him a Christian name ‘Nelson’, and the name of his town Mandela.
From that day, young Rolihlahla was known as Nelson Mandela, the name the world will soon come to know him as.
Image Source: Unsplash
In 1930, at the age of 12, young Mandela watched his father die of lung disease, and because of this, he was moved to the Great Place in Mqhekezweni where he met his father’s bosom friend who was willing to adopt Nelson as his ward. The regent was a kind man who adopted Nelson and planned to groom him alongside his son, Justice who was only four years older than Nelson and took him as a younger brother. They both became soul brothers.
After leaving Qunu, he was enrolled at Clarkebury Boarding Institute where he completed and received his junior certificate. Together with justice, they both headed to Healdtown, a Wesleyan secondary school of some repute, where he matriculated.
In Mqhekezweni, Jongintaba, the regent made plans to help Nelson further his education. There, in the Great Place in Mqhekezweni, Nelson learned the value of the black man, and the need to understand the power of our value system. Nelson being an inquisitive fellow, always listened to stories about his ancestor’s valor and strife to uphold resistance. It was in these discussions he began to learn to use words like ‘racism’ ’emancipation’ and ‘black empowerment’. Soon, in the midst of all this, he began to build up dreams to help free and contribute to the struggle of his people.
In those days, the University College of Fort Hare was a prestigious place of study. It was a major stepping stone for Mandela, and he was grateful for the opportunity when he was admitted to begin his studies for a Bachelor of Arts degree. However, before long, he alongside Justice was expelled for joining and participating in a student protest. He did not complete the degree there, and the regent of the Great Place at Mqhekezweni who was his mentor was extremely angry and disappointed when he heard of what they had done to sabotage their education.
On returning to Great Place at Mqhekezweni, the regent threatened to marry them off if they did not return to school at Fort Hare. This was an impossible feat for Mandela and his cousin Justice. Together, they fled the Great Place at Mqhekezweni to the city of Johannesburg in 1941.
In Johannesburg, Nelson began to work odd jobs. First, as a security guard, and then he proceeded to join a firm as an articled clerk after meeting the likes of Walter Sinzu, Lazer Sidelsky, and other fierce attorneys including – Witkin, Eidelman, and Sidelsky.
In 1943, Mandela Headed back to Fort Hare after making the grand decision to complete his BA studies through the University of South Africa.
At this time, Mandela had developed a deep passion for law, and decided to further his education in law studies after his BA. He began studying for an LLB at the University of Witwatersrand.
He left the University in 1952 without graduating and resumed his studies at the University of London in 1962. Despite this, he still did not graduate for many reasons including his imprisonment and poor performance. When one would have thought it over, Nelson Mandela obtained an LLB through the University of South Africa in 1989 while serving a jail term.
Image Source: nelsonmandela
Why Is Mandela So Great?
He was a freedom fighter who was ready to die for the cause he believed in over and over again, for the main purpose that soon his effort to eradicate white supremacy, and save the people of South Africa from the apartheid government will be made true.
1. After Nelson Mandela qualified as a full attorney in August 1952, he invited his friend Olivia Thambo to start up a law firm of their own. The partnership was so successful, as it soon became a legal covering and voice for the oppressed of black people and native South Africans who came to them for legal assistance.
2. During this period, South Africans although dominated by the natives were made underprivileged by society. The white settlers considered themselves superior to black people, despite being only 13% of the major population, they grew powerful and unstoppable every day. They were in charge of all the major institutions within the state, including the government and media. Africans only got meager salaries for working for these white men, and they had to pay rent to the government to farm their land. The state of living for black people was deplorable and would invoke pity on anyone. Harsh rules were enforced by the government at all times in the favour of the whites. Each time worse and even more dangerous than the former.
3. In 1952, a new law was introduced called the “Pass Law Act” which mandated that blacks above the age of 16, must at all times carry a Pass Book in their own country. This was to ensure that the major populace was constrained and put under derogatory living conditions as there were no signs on public buildings like “white designated areas only”. If a black man entered such a place, he was either arrested or killed immediately. The document which looked like an international passport held basic information about the individual including their trade, passport photograph, former employer, and present address.
4. With time, the oppression became too much and the black people began to form groups and associations of solidarity. Amongst some of those groups, the African National Congress (ANC) was founded in 1912. The objective of the association was simply—South Africa belonged to all the people who lived in it, whether white or black, and not to a segregated group of people. They sought a new South Africa where everyone inspired by race would have equal rights within the state.
5. Nelson Mandela joined the ANC in 1942. He became active and was elected as the volunteer-in-chief of the Defiance Campaign in 1952. This was a strong move against the government, and thus a serious responsibility for Mandela. The Defiance Against Unjust Laws Campaign was launched by the ANC as a way to subtly protest against the harsh conditions of black people. The defiance movement encouraged black people to leave their passbooks back at home. More than 8,500 black South Africans responded to this defiance act. Because of this, Mandela was thrown into jail for organizing a successful campaign. Not long after, the jail sentence was suspended because there were no records of violence during the demonstrations, and stiffer punishment was placed in the law to curb any thought of growing defiance.
6. On March 21, 1960, the Sharpeville massacre occurred. A movement that had been ignited by the Pan African Congress (PAC). Over 180 unarmed protesters were gunned down by policemen. This upset the blacks, and the white government imposed a state of emergency. Following the reaction of international bodies to condemn the massacre, the white government in South Africa took action and pronounced associations like the (PAC) and (ANC) as unlawful.
This did not stop the fire, Nelson Mandela was still poised to fight for his people. The organization (ANC) did not dissolve but only went underground. Due to this development, Nelson Mandela was arrested and detained again.
Image Source: nelsonmandela
The ANC would later go on to play major roles in the fight against white supremacy and governance in the state of South Africa. Led by Nelson Mandela, they organized a nationwide strike from its underground location, when they ordered a stay-at-home strike.
7. In June 1961, the ANC and Nelson Mandela serving as its chief commanding officer began to review the non-violence policy that the organization had stood for since its inception. They soon realized that they would never be able to get the government to consider their demands, as so the military wing of the ANC was formed which was called UMKHONTO DE SIZWE (spear of the nation). This military was targeted against the government and public institutions. And not against people. In Mandela’s words
“…it was only when all else had failed when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle …the government has left us no other choice…“
8. With the first mission of the UMKHONTO DE SIZWE accomplished, Mandela attended the Pan-Africa freedom movement in Addis Ababa on January 11, 1962. There he began to network the plight of blacks living in South Africa to other African countries, seeking help. Awareness began to grow and African nations began to join their voices against the government’s malicious rule in South Africa.
Back in South Africa, The penalty for involving in UMKHONTO DE SIZWE was death, and so Mandela prepared for the worst, stopped on his tour in Algeria, and underwent military training in the country.
Nelson Mandela returned to South Africa after spreading awareness to other nations within Africa. He was charged with the illegal exit of the country and also charged with the infamous Rivonia Trial.
9. On the 11th of June 1964, Nelson Mandela and his associates at ANC were changed to life imprisonment. After a short while, he was moved to the notorious Robbed island. A place where political troublemakers of the society were ostracized too. It was a maximum-security prison designed to crush the Morales of freedom fighters. It was a brutal place, a place that was designed to kill the mind.
10. While in prison, Nelson Mandela’s game grew and blossomed. He was regarded as the most important black leader of South Africa, and a genuine symbol of the anti-apartheid movement.
11. With pressure mounting on the South African government to free Mandela, Mr. F. W. de Klerk, president of South Africa, ordered that Mandela be made to walk the streets of South Africa a free man again. With 27 years spent behind bars, Mandela walked out of prison at the age of 71.
Image Source: nelsonmandela
12. In May 1994, the people yet again proved their unending loyalty and love to Mandela, and had him voted into power as the first democratic black president of South Africa, after unending years of white domination.
14. In 1993, Mandela was awarded the Nobel prize for peace, and also the UNESCO Felix Houphouet-Boigny peace prize amidst several uncountable others from all over the world.
15. He retired in 1999 after one term in office as president, and set up the Nelson Mandela Foundation to help combat illiteracy, poverty, and Hiv/Aids.
Mandela’s Legacy
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, who is also fondly referred to as Madiba, died on the 5th of November, 2013; Showing the world that everyone deserves the right to a fair and just system of governance, irrespective of race, gender, or background. His struggles and sacrifice for his people including the oppressed and downtown of society, would not be forgotten so soon.
Image Source: Unsplash
What's Your Reaction?
