Nelson Mandela: The Full Story of His Fight, Arrest, 27 Years in Prison and Rise to Power
Nelson Mandela: The Full Story of His Fight, Arrest, 27 Years in Prison and Rise to Power
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is remembered around the world as one of the greatest symbols of resistance, freedom and reconciliation. But before he became South Africa's first democratically elected president, Mandela spent decades fighting a system that denied Black South Africans basic political rights, freedom of movement and equal treatment.
His journey was not simple. He was arrested several times, placed on trial, forced underground, sentenced to prison and eventually condemned to life imprisonment. He spent more than 27 years behind bars, including 18 years on the notorious Robben Island.
Yet prison did not destroy his political ambitions. Instead, Mandela emerged from prison as an international symbol of resistance to apartheid and became one of the central figures in South Africa's transition from white minority rule to democracy.
Mandela's Early Life
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in the Transkei region of South Africa.
He studied law and eventually moved to Johannesburg, where he became increasingly involved in politics. In 1944, he joined the African National Congress (ANC), an organisation that would become the centre of his political life.
At the time, South Africa was developing an increasingly formal system of racial segregation. After the National Party came to power in 1948, apartheid became the government's official policy.
Under apartheid, racial identity determined many aspects of life. Black South Africans faced restrictions over where they could live, work and travel. Political power remained overwhelmingly in the hands of the white minority.
Mandela became convinced that ordinary political appeals were not enough to defeat the system.
The Beginning of the Struggle
Mandela and other ANC activists organised campaigns against apartheid laws. In 1952, he participated in the Defiance Campaign, which encouraged people to deliberately break discriminatory laws through organised protest.
His political activities brought him into conflict with the government.
In December 1952, Mandela and other activists were convicted under the Suppression of Communism Act and received suspended sentences.
Then came an even more serious case.
In December 1956, Mandela and 155 other people were arrested and charged with high treason. The enormous Treason Trial lasted for years.
Mandela eventually survived the trial politically and legally. On March 29, 1961, the remaining 28 accused, including Mandela, were acquitted.
But by then South Africa had become even more dangerous.
Sharpeville Changed the Struggle
On March 21, 1960, police opened fire on protesters at Sharpeville. Sixty-nine people were killed.
The massacre shocked South Africa and the international community.
The government declared a state of emergency and banned the ANC and Pan Africanist Congress.
Mandela and thousands of other activists were detained.
The events convinced many activists that peaceful protest alone might not be enough to force the government to abandon apartheid.
Mandela eventually went underground.
In 1961, he became closely involved in the establishment of Umkhonto weSizwe, commonly translated as "Spear of the Nation", the armed wing associated with the ANC. Its first sabotage campaign began on December 16, 1961.
Mandela Leaves South Africa Secretly
In January 1962, Mandela secretly left South Africa.
He travelled through parts of Africa and also visited Britain, seeking political support and preparing for the armed struggle. He received military training in Morocco and Ethiopia.
He returned to South Africa in July 1962.
But the government was looking for him.
On August 5, 1962, Mandela was stopped at a police roadblock near Howick in KwaZulu-Natal while travelling with activist Cecil Williams.
He was arrested.
The man who had spent months operating secretly was finally in police custody.
The First Prison Sentence
Mandela was charged with leaving the country illegally and encouraging workers to strike.
His trial began in October 1962.
He defended his actions and used the courtroom to challenge the racial system that governed South Africa.
On November 7, 1962, Mandela was sentenced to five years in prison.
He began serving his sentence at Pretoria Local Prison. His prisoner number was 19476/62.
But this was only the beginning.
While Mandela was already in prison, South African police were preparing another case that would change his life forever.
The Rivonia Raid
On July 11, 1963, police raided Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia, Johannesburg, a secret location used by ANC and other anti-apartheid activists.
Several senior members of the movement were arrested.
Mandela himself had previously used the location, but he was already imprisoned when the raid occurred.
He was subsequently brought into the case.
The resulting prosecution became known as the Rivonia Trial.
Mandela and other defendants faced extremely serious charges, including sabotage. The government could have sought the death penalty.
The trial began in October 1963.
Mandela understood that he might never leave prison alive.
Mandela's Famous Speech
On April 20, 1964, Mandela delivered his famous "Speech from the Dock" during the Rivonia Trial.
Instead of simply pleading for his own freedom, he used the courtroom to explain why he had fought apartheid.
He described his vision of a democratic society in which people of different races could live together with equal opportunities.
He also made clear that he understood the possible consequences.
Mandela concluded that his ideal was something he hoped to achieve, but that he was prepared to die for it if necessary.
His words became one of the defining moments of the anti-apartheid struggle.
Life Imprisonment
On June 11, 1964, Mandela and seven other defendants were convicted.
The following day, they were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Those sentenced alongside Mandela included Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Denis Goldberg, Elias Motsoaledi and Andrew Mlangeni.
Most were sent to Robben Island. Denis Goldberg, who was white, was sent to Pretoria Prison rather than Robben Island.
Mandela had avoided the death penalty.
But he was now facing something that could be almost as devastating: spending the rest of his life behind bars.
The Brutal Years on Robben Island
Mandela spent about 18 years on Robben Island.
Prison life was harsh. Political prisoners faced strict restrictions and were treated differently from ordinary prisoners.
Mandela and his fellow prisoners were forced to perform hard labour and had limited contact with the outside world.
But Mandela refused to allow prison to destroy his political identity.
He studied. He read extensively. He learned more about Afrikaans language and Afrikaner history and developed relationships with prison officials and fellow prisoners.
He also continued to press for better treatment of political prisoners.
According to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, he used his time in prison to study, read widely, reflect and develop his understanding of the people who governed South Africa.
Prison also brought devastating personal losses.
Mandela's mother died in 1968.
His eldest son, Thembi, died the following year.
Mandela was not permitted to attend either funeral.
From Robben Island to Pollsmoor
In March 1982, Mandela was transferred from Robben Island to Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town.
The government had reasons for making the move. It separated Mandela from younger generations of prisoners on Robben Island and placed him closer to the political centre of the country.
But something unexpected was beginning.
Mandela was becoming increasingly important to discussions about South Africa's future.
Government officials began communicating with him.
In 1985, the government offered him conditional freedom, but Mandela rejected the offer because he would not accept freedom for himself while the broader struggle remained unresolved.
Instead, Mandela continued to push for negotiations.
Mandela's Health Begins to Fail
In 1988, Mandela was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
He spent several months receiving treatment in hospitals.
After his hospitalisation, he was moved to Victor Verster Prison near Paarl on December 7, 1988.
His conditions were significantly different from those he had experienced on Robben Island.
Meanwhile, pressure on the apartheid government was increasing both inside South Africa and internationally.
The anti-apartheid movement had become a major global cause.
The government increasingly understood that keeping Mandela imprisoned could not permanently solve South Africa's political crisis.
The Day Mandela Walked Free
On February 2, 1990, President F.W. de Klerk announced the unbanning of the ANC and other political organisations.
Nine days later, on February 11, Mandela walked out of Victor Verster Prison.
He had spent more than 27 years in custody.
The world watched as the 71-year-old Mandela walked beside Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and raised his fist.
His release became one of the most powerful political images of the 20th century.
Mandela had entered prison as a relatively young revolutionary.
He emerged as the world's most famous political prisoner.
But he still had work to do.
From Prisoner to Negotiator
Mandela did not leave prison and immediately become president.
Instead, he entered difficult negotiations with the government over the future of South Africa.
The country faced enormous political violence and deep racial divisions.
Mandela and the ANC had to negotiate with the same political establishment that had imprisoned him for decades.
His ability to negotiate while maintaining pressure on the government became one of the defining features of the transition.
In 1991, Mandela became president of the ANC.
In 1993, he and F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to peacefully end apartheid and establish the foundations of a democratic South Africa.
The Election That Changed South Africa
On April 27, 1994, South Africans went to the polls in the country's first democratic elections.
For the first time, Mandela was able to vote.
Millions of Black South Africans who had previously been denied meaningful political participation also voted.
The ANC won the election.
On May 10, 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first democratically elected president.
The man who had once been prisoner number 466/64 was now leading the country.
Mandela's Legacy
Mandela served one presidential term and stepped down in 1999.
He continued working on social causes and became an international voice on issues including poverty, children, education and HIV/AIDS.
He died on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95.
Nelson Mandela's story is not simply the story of a man who went to prison and later became president.
It is the story of a political struggle that lasted for decades.
He was arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned. He lost family members while behind bars. He spent 18 years on Robben Island and more than 27 years in custody altogether.
Yet when he finally walked out of prison, he did not use his newfound freedom simply to seek revenge.
He entered negotiations that helped transform South Africa.
That is why Mandela's name became larger than the prison cell in which he spent so many years.
His journey from a young lawyer fighting apartheid, to an underground activist, to a convicted prisoner, to the world's most famous political prisoner, and finally to South Africa's president remains one of the most extraordinary political journeys in modern history.
For Mandela, freedom was never only about opening the prison gates.
It was about building a country in which those gates would no longer be necessary to control people because of the colour of their skin.
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