As a consequence, study privileges for Mandela, Kathrada and Sisulu were revoked for four years. The originally transcribed manuscript was never read by the public as the ANC did not want to publish the material while Mandela was still in jail.
The original manuscript would, however, form the basis of his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom , published in They were also finally moved to Pollsmoor in April. That same year a campaign demanding the release of all political prisoners was launched in South Africa and abroad. This campaign became one of the most powerful international solidarity movements in history. With the apartheid government reeling under international pressure and mounting internal unrest, State President P.
Botha was forced to issue a statement on 31 January that he was prepared to release Mandela and other Rivonia Trialists. This was on condition that he renounced violence and the armed struggle.
Despite this rejection, Botha repeated his willingness to release Mandela on 15 February under the same conditions stated in the previous statement, but Mandela stood his ground. From July onwards, a small group of the government and intelligence agents visited Mandela to persuade him to renounce the armed struggle.
Mandela refused but did not close the door to dialogue with the government. He had contact with government representatives, first with Minister of Justice Kobie Coetzee and subsequently with Minister of Constitutional Development, Gerrit Viljoen. The government banned all gatherings and arrested some activists and leaders of the birthday celebrations. A hour music concert in London, broadcast to over 50 countries, drew enormous attention and many foreign countries pressured the South African government to release Mandela.
He stayed in hospital for six weeks. It was subsequently revealed that he was suffering from tuberculosis. On 31 August, he was transferred to the Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic where he was treated until 7 December. Botha at Tuynhuys in the Parliamentary precinct.
The meeting was historic as this was the first time the two men had met face to face. Botha resigned as state president in August and was succeeded by F. De Klerk. Unknown to the government, Mandela had kept Oliver Tambo, the President of the ANC in exile, informed of his discussions with the government through Mac Maharaj , a former Robben Island prisoner and a confidant of Mandela. At this point, the government realised that apartheid was nearing its end, and opted for formal negotiations with the ANC through Mandela.
Source: Getty Images. On 2 February , State President FW de Klerk, in his opening speech in parliament, announced the unbanning of the ANC and all other proscribed political parties, and the release of Mandela and all other political prisoners. The subsequent welcome rallies held in Soweto and Durban drew thousands of people. The ANC had announced their intention to move its headquarters from Lusaka to Johannesburg as soon as possible.
He then travelled to Sweden to meet his comrade and friend, the incumbent ANC president Oliver Tambo, but had to cut short the rest of his proposed trip abroad as a result of increased unrest in South Africa. Adding to the chaos of this time, the apartheid government gave emergency powers to the President, allowing de Klerk to govern in a state of emergency.
Later in March, police opened fire on anti-apartheid protesters in Sebokeng, killing 14 people and wounding more than At the end of the meeting a document known as the Groote Schuur Minute was signed. This signified a commitment from both the ANC and the government to end the political violence which had gripped the country. Furthermore, a working party was formed, including ANC cadres, to advise on the release of political prisoners. His reception by heads of state and hundreds of thousands of admirers confirmed his stature as an internationally respected leader.
Talks resumed with the South African government in August and in the same month Mandela visited Norway. This was followed by visits to Zambia, India and Australia. However, despite their pledges to work towards peace, the violence continued. Mandela then issued an ultimatum to the government, setting a deadline by which it had to fire the Minister of Defence and Minister of Law and Order and end the ongoing violence. He indicated that the ANC would quit the negotiation process if these demands were not met.
The government failed to meet these demands. Image source. The two parties had previously been split on ideological issues regarding the role of non-Africans in the struggle for freedom.
The meeting also agreed to convene a conference of anti-apartheid organisations in support of the demand for a national constituent assembly. In August, Mandela travelled to countries in South America.
This agreement between a number of political organisations, including the ANC, Inkatha Freedom Party and the National Party , established structures and procedures to attempt to end political violence which had become widespread. In October , a meeting of the Patriotic Front was held in Durban in an attempt to bring together all the anti-apartheid groupings in the country.
However, the PAC could not see its way clear to participate in the convention due to its belief that the convention should be held outside the country under the stewardship of a neutral party. The first meeting of Codesa, set up to negotiate procedures for constitutional change, was held in December At the end of the plenary session, after De Klerk had raised the question of disbanding Umkhonto we Sizwe , Mandela delivered a scathing personal attack on him.
Mandela argued that even the head of an illegitimate and discredited minority regime should have certain moral standards. During , Mandela continued his programme of extensive international travel, visiting Tunisia, Libya and Morocco. On 13 April , Mandela called a press conference at which he announced that he and his wife, Winnie , had agreed to separate as a result of differences which had arisen between them in recent months.
Permission: Africamediaonline. In May , the second plenary meeting of Codesa was held, but the working group dealing with constitutional arrangements reached a deadlock when the ANC and the government could not reach agreement on certain constitutional principles. Codesa's management committee was asked to find a way out of the logjam but by 16 June by then known as Soweto Day no progress had been made and the ANC called for a mass action campaign to put pressure on the South African government.
While visiting the Scandinavian countries and Czechoslovakia in May, Mandela suggested that FW de Klerk was personally responsible for the political violence in South Africa. Mandela also criticised what he felt was the stranglehold imposed on the South African press, which represented White-owned conglomerates; however, he expressed support for a critical, independent and investigative press.
Mandela asked the UN to provide continuous monitoring of the violence and submitted documents, which he claimed, proved the 'criminal intent' of the government, both in the instigation of violence and in failing to curb it. He maintained that the government was conducting a 'cold-hearted strategy of state terror to impose its will on negotiations'. On his return to South Africa, Mandela called for disciplined and peaceful protest and involved himself in the ANC's mass action campaign. Following violent incidents between ANC supporters in the Transvaal, Mandela admitted that the organisation had disciplinary problems with some of its followers, particularly in township Self-Defence Units and promised to take action against those who abused their positions of power and authority.
Mandela indicated in September that he was prepared to meet De Klerk on condition that he agreed to fence off township hostels, ban the public display of dangerous weapons and release political prisoners. They met at the end of the month and these bi-lateral talks resulted in the signing of a Record of Understanding between the two leaders, thereby enabling negotiations to resume.
During and Mandela repeatedly called for peace. At a rally in Soweto's Jabulani Stadium he was booed by a militant crowd when he tried to convey a message of peace in the wake of the killing.
Mandela caused a political row in May when he suggested that South Africa's voting age should be lowered to enable 14 year old children to vote. However, he was persuaded to accept that only people aged 18 and above could vote in the April elections. In September , after the election date had been set for April , Mandela used a visit to the United States of America to urge world business leaders to lift economic sanctions and invest in South Africa.
During the latter half of and early he campaigned on behalf of the ANC for the election and addressed a large number of rallies and people's forums. At the same time, he continued his efforts to draw the Freedom Alliance partners White right wing groups, IFP, Bophuthatswana and Ciskei Bantustan governments into the election process. However, he ruled out the possibility of delaying the election date to accommodate them. In March , following a civil uprising in the homeland of Bophuthatswana, which led to the downfall of the Mangope government, Mandela guaranteed striking civil servants their jobs, but harshly criticised the looting that had occurred during the unrest.
The meeting was unsuccessful and was followed by an attempt at international mediation. This, too, failed, but a final effort by Kenyan academic, Washington Okumu, brought the IFP back into the election process. Mandela and De Klerk then signed an agreement stating that the institution, status and role of the King of the Zulus, as well as the Kingdom of KwaZulu, be recognised and protected. Mandela contested the April election as the head of the ANC.
He cast his vote in Inanda, Durban, on the first day of voting on 27 April Mandela indicated his relief that the ANC did not achieve a two-thirds majority, as this would allay fears that it would unilaterally re-write the constitution.
He restated his commitment to a government of national unity wherein each party shared in the exercise of power. Nelson Mandela casts his vote for the first time in April Photographer: Paul Weinberg, Permission: Africamediaonline.
On 9 May, Mandela was elected unopposed as president of South Africa in the first session of the Constituent Assembly. His presidential inauguration took place the next day at the Union Buildings in Pretoria and was attended by the largest gathering of international leaders in South African history, as well as about jubilant supporters on the lawns.
The ceremony was televised and broadcast internationally. In his inaugural speech Mandela called for a 'time of healing' and stated that his government would fight against discrimination of any kind.
He pledged to enter into a covenant to build a society in which all South Africans, Black and White, could walk tall without fear, assured of their rights to human dignity, 'a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world'. This policy focused on basic needs such as jobs, land, housing, water, electricity, telecommunications and transport, among others.
Furthermore, this policy emphasised that the people should be part of the decision making process. His pragmatic economic policy was welcomed by business in general. Mandela continued to draw the White right wing into the negotiation process and in May, held a breakthrough meeting with the leader of the Conservative Party CP , Ferdie Hartzenberg.
Negotiations also involved a possible meeting with Eugene Terre Blanche , leader of the right wing Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging AWB , but it did not transpire. The following month he held talks with his Angolan, Mozambican and Zairean counterparts in an attempt to further peace-making efforts in Angola.
Mandela underwent eye surgery for a cataract in July. The operation was complicated by the fact that his tear glands had been damaged by the alkalinity of the stone at Robben Island where he had done hard labour breaking rocks.
In September , Mandela made a crucial speech at the annual conference of the Congress of South African Trade Unions Cosatu where he called on the labour movement to transform itself from a liberation movement to one that would assist in the building of a new South Africa. The government of national unity nearly collapsed in January over an alleged secret attempt by two former cabinet ministers and 3 police to obtain indemnity on the eve of the April elections.
At a cabinet meeting on 18 January, Mandela attacked Deputy President De Klerk, stating that he did not believe De Klerk was unaware of the indemnity applications. He went on to question De Klerk's commitment to reconciliation. At a press conference on 20 January, De Klerk maintained that this attack on his integrity and good faith could seriously jeopardise the future of the government of national unity.
In April , Mandela removed his estranged wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, as Deputy Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, following a series of controversial issues in which she was involved. She challenged her dismissal in the Supreme Court, claiming that it was unconstitutional.
She obtained an affidavit from IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi to the effect that he had not, as a leader of a party in the government of national unity, been consulted about her dismissal. This was a constitutional requirement. Winnie Mandela was then briefly reinstated before being dismissed again, Mandela having consulted with all party leaders involved in the government.
Mandela and Madikizela-Mandela would divorce in due to political differences and the tension which she was causing within the ANC. In May , following a dispute between the IFP and the ANC regarding international mediation for the new constitution, Buthelezi called on Zulus to 'rise and resist' any imposed constitutional dispensation. Mandela accused Buthelezi of encouraging violence and attempting to foment an uprising against central government.
In this context, Mandela threatened to cut off central government funding to KwaZulu-Natal, indicating that he would not allow public funds to be used to finance an attempt to overthrow the constitution by violent means. South Africa had recently been allowed to compete in international events after the dissolution of apartheid. Mandela saw this tournament as an opportunity to unite the country and diffuse the racial tensions which had built up before the elections.
The South African national rugby team nicknamed the Springboks won the tournament, and in an iconic moment, Mandela presented the trophy to the captain of the team, Francois Pienaar, while wearing a Springbok jersey. On his eightieth birthday on 18 July , he married his third wife, Graca Machel.
Machel, at the time, was the widow of Mozambican president, Samora Machel. Retirement from political life. Mandela retired from active political life in June after his first term of office as president. Mandela continued to play an active role in mediating conflicts around the world. For instance, in he was appointed mediator in the war-torn, Burundi, a mission he accomplished with aplomb. President Mandela retired from active political life in June In , he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
He devoted a large amount of his time to raising funds for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. This concert would be the first of six international concerts of the same name that took place between and Evelyn Mase passed away on 4 April, and Mandela cut short his overseas trip to attend her funeral.
On 10 May , Mandela addressed a joint-sitting of parliament in celebrating a decade of democracy in which he acknowledged the extraordinary position he was in, being allowed to address Parliament despite not being an MP or sitting leader. According to him, it would be a fitting present for the 10 years of democracy. On 15 May , he was in Zurich, Switzerland when South Africa was awarded the right to host the soccer showpiece. Mandela cried openly at the achievement. He said he felt like a year-old boy and the memory would live with him forever.
Though retired from public life, Mandela carried the Olympic torch on Robben Island on 14 June on its first journey on African soil since the inception of the Olympic Games. Mandela was the recipient of numerous awards and honours both within South Africa and abroad. In line with his desire to recede from the political limelight, the unending invitations to receive more awards and honours prompted him to publicly urge that other leaders in the struggle to liberate and democratise South Africa should be recognised and honoured as he had been.
He then did his articles through a firm of attorneys — Witkin, Eidelman and Sidelsky. By his own admission he was a poor student and left the university in without graduating.
He only started studying again through the University of London after his imprisonment in but also did not complete that degree. He graduated in absentia at a ceremony in Cape Town. They had two sons, Madiba Thembekile "Thembi" and Makgatho, and two daughters both called Makaziwe, the first of whom died in infancy. He and his wife divorced in This campaign of civil disobedience against six unjust laws was a joint programme between the ANC and the South African Indian Congress.
He and 19 others were charged under the Suppression of Communism Act for their part in the campaign and sentenced to nine months of hard labour, suspended for two years. At the end of he was banned for the first time. As a restricted person he was only permitted to watch in secret as the Freedom Charter was adopted in Kliptown on 26 June Mandela was arrested in a countrywide police swoop on 5 December , which led to the Treason Trial. Men and women of all races found themselves in the dock in the marathon trial that only ended when the last 28 accused, including Mandela, were acquitted on 29 March On 21 March police killed 69 unarmed people in a protest in Sharpeville against the pass laws.
Mandela and his colleagues in the Treason Trial were among thousands detained during the state of emergency. During the trial Mandela married a social worker, Winnie Madikizela, on 14 June They had two daughters, Zenani and Zindziswa. The couple divorced in Days before the end of the Treason Trial, Mandela travelled to Pietermaritzburg to speak at the All-in Africa Conference, which resolved that he should write to Prime Minister Verwoerd requesting a national convention on a non-racial constitution, and to warn that should he not agree there would be a national strike against South Africa becoming a republic.
After he and his colleagues were acquitted in the Treason Trial, Mandela went underground and began planning a national strike for 29, 30 and 31 March. In the face of massive mobilisation of state security the strike was called off early. In June he was asked to lead the armed struggle and helped to establish Umkhonto weSizwe Spear of the Nation , which launched on 16 December with a series of explosions.
Nelson Mandela made a dramatic entrance into the court wearing a Thembu royal costume. On 9 October Mandela joined 10 others on trial for sabotage in what became known as the Rivonia Trial. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.
It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
He served 27 years in prison. Apartheid was the official policy of the National Party, which became the governing party of South Africa in Apartheid, which means "separateness", was the practice of official racial segregation in every aspect of life. Under apartheid, everyone in South Africa had to be classified according to a particular racial group. This classification determined where someone could be born, where they could live, where they could go to school, where they could work, where they could be treated if they were sick and where they could be buried if they died.
Only white people could vote and they had the best opportunities and the most money was spent on their facilities. Apartheid made others live in poverty.
Black South Africans' lives were strictly controlled. Many thousands of people died in the struggle to end apartheid. Mandela's vision during the apartheid era was for the eradication of racism and for the establishment of a constitutional democracy.
He envisioned a South Africa in which all its citizens had equal rights and where every adult would have the right to vote for the government of his or her choice.
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