Nelson Mandela

 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Xhosa ([xolilala mde:la[xolilala mde:la]) was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist who was the first president of South Africa between 1994 and 1999. The president was the first African president of South Africa, and the first president elected through an election that was democratically-conducted. The government he led was focused on reconciliation and ending the history of apartheid. He was a socialist as well as an African nationalist from 1991 until 1997. Before becoming an Johannesburg lawyer, he was studying law at the University of Fort Hare as in the University of Witwatersrand. He was active in anti-colonial politics as well as African nationalist politics in the city. He joined the ANC in 1943, and was a co-founder of the Youth League in 1944. Mandela as well as the ANC pledged to take down apartheid's only white-only government, known as the National Party. Mandela was elected president of the ANC's Transvaal Branch. The involvement he had in the 1952 Defiance Campaign, and the 1955 Congress of the People made him a well-known persona. He was frequently detained for inciting seditious behavior, but was not charged in the 1956 Treason trial. He was attracted by Marxism and was a secret member of the banned South African Communist Party. He initially embraced peaceful protest , but with the SACP they founded the militant uMkhonto we Sizwe and led an attack of sabotage against the government. In 1962 the group was arrested in prison and sentenced to life prison. He also spent 27 years of prison time for conspiring against the overthrow of the government. The time he spent in prison was divided among Pollsmoor Prison, Victor Verster Prison as well as Robben Island. In 1990, president F. W. de Klerk released Mandela amid increasing domestic and international pressures as well as concerns about racial conflicts. Mandela as well as de Klerk were leaders in efforts to end apartheid. This resulted in the 1994 general elections that were multiracial during which Mandela was able to secure the ANC victory and was elected as president. Mandela was the leader of a coalition government, which promulgated the constitution of 1994. Mandela also established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, that investigates human rights abuses. The administration he led maintained the liberal framework set by the previous administration, despite its social democratic views. The government also instituted policies to encourage the reform of land, fight the effects of poverty and to expand the availability of healthcare. Mandela was a mediator during the Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing Trial, and was secretary-general of the Non-Aligned Movement between 1998 and 1999. Thabo Mbeki was his deputy and succeeded his predecessor. Mandela was a senior statesman and devoted his energy to the issue of poverty and HIV/AIDS through the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Mandela was a controversial figure for the course of his life. Although he was criticised by right-wingers for being an extremist communist and by the left for being a radical who believed that he was too willing to be reconciled with the people who supported apartheid and apartheid, Mandela gained international recognition for his actions. He is widely regarded as a symbol of democratic values as well as social justice. He has been awarded more than 250 awards and awards, 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".