131-722: Gamtoos River or Gamptoos River is a river in the Eastern Cape Province , South Africa . It is formed by the confluence of the Kouga River and the Groot River and is approximately 645 kilometres (401 mi) long with a catchment area of 34,635 square kilometres (13,373 sq mi). The Gamtoos river system is formed by the Groot, the Kouga and the Baviaanskloof rivers. The latter
262-610: A University of South Africa correspondence course, working on his bachelor's degree at night. Earning a small wage, Mandela rented a room in the house of the Xhoma family in the Alexandra township; despite being rife with poverty, crime and pollution, Alexandra always remained a special place for him. Although embarrassed by his poverty, he briefly dated a Swazi woman before unsuccessfully courting his landlord's daughter. To save money and be closer to downtown Johannesburg, Mandela moved into
393-659: A "systemic failure in Eastern Cape education". The province is served by big medical centres such as Cecilia Makiwane Hospital which is a large, government-funded hospital near the city of East London that also serves as a tertiary teaching hospital. Frere Hospital is another large, provincial government-funded hospital near East London which also serves as a tertiary teaching hospital. These hospitals offer many specialty departments such as an ARV clinic for HIV/AIDS in adults and children. Both hospitals are affiliated with Lilitha Nursing College and Walter Sisulu University. While
524-536: A National Voluntary Board to recruit volunteers. The campaign was designed to follow the path of nonviolent resistance influenced by Mahatma Gandhi ; some supported this for ethical reasons, but Mandela instead considered it pragmatic. At a Durban rally on 22 June, Mandela addressed an assembled crowd of 10,000 people, initiating the campaign protests for which he was arrested and briefly interned in Marshall Square prison. These events established Mandela as one of
655-572: A car accident the following year; Mandela was forbidden from attending either funeral. His wife was rarely able to see him, being regularly imprisoned for political activity, and his daughters first visited in December 1975. Winnie was released from prison in 1977 but was forcibly settled in Brandfort and remained unable to see him. From 1967 onwards, prison conditions improved. Black prisoners were given trousers rather than shorts, games were permitted, and
786-582: A cell structure, MK planned to carry out acts of sabotage that would exert maximum pressure on the government with minimum casualties; they sought to bomb military installations, power plants, telephone lines, and transport links at night, when civilians were not present. Mandela stated that they chose sabotage because it was the least harmful action, did not involve killing, and offered the best hope for racial reconciliation afterwards; he nevertheless acknowledged that should this have failed then guerrilla warfare might have been necessary. Soon after ANC leader Luthuli
917-417: A choice of both indigenous and imported talent. Every year for eleven days the town's population almost doubles, as over 50,000 people flock to the region for a feast of arts, crafts, music and entertainment. Jeffreys Bay is an area with wild coastline, which is backed by sub-tropical rainforest. The waters here are noted for having good waves for surfing. Aliwal North , lying on an agricultural plateau on
1048-617: A controlled direction, convincing both ANC leader Albert Luthuli —who was morally opposed to violence—and allied activist groups of its necessity. Inspired by the actions of Fidel Castro 's 26th of July Movement in the Cuban Revolution , in 1961 Mandela, Sisulu and Slovo co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe ("Spear of the Nation", abbreviated MK). Becoming chairman of the militant group, Mandela gained ideas from literature on guerrilla warfare by Marxist militants Mao and Che Guevara as well as from
1179-524: A devout Christian, sent him to a local Methodist school when he was about seven. Baptised a Methodist, Mandela was given the English forename of "Nelson" by his teacher. When Mandela was about nine, his father came to stay at Qunu, where he died of an undiagnosed ailment that Mandela believed to be lung disease. Feeling "cut adrift", he later said that he inherited his father's "proud rebelliousness" and "stubborn sense of fairness". Mandela's mother took him to
1310-584: A former American diplomat, revealed that the Central Intelligence Agency , which feared Mandela's associations with communists, had informed the South African police of his location. Jailed in Johannesburg's Marshall Square prison, Mandela was charged with inciting workers' strikes and leaving the country without permission. Representing himself with Slovo as legal advisor, Mandela intended to use
1441-407: A full-fledged attorney. In August 1953, Mandela and Tambo opened their own law firm, Mandela and Tambo , operating in downtown Johannesburg. The only African-run law firm in the country, it was popular with aggrieved black people, often dealing with cases of police brutality . Disliked by the authorities, the firm was forced to relocate to a remote location after their office permit was removed under
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#17328441814501572-497: A full-time student, subsisting on loans from the Bantu Welfare Trust. In July 1947, Mandela rushed Lembede, who was ill, to hospital, where he died; he was succeeded as ANCYL president by the more moderate Peter Mda , who agreed to co-operate with communists and non-blacks, appointing Mandela ANCYL secretary. Mandela disagreed with Mda's approach, and in December 1947 supported an unsuccessful measure to expel communists from
1703-573: A girl for the first time; he began playing sports and developed his lifelong love of gardening. He completed his Junior Certificate in two years, and in 1937 he moved to Healdtown , the Methodist college in Fort Beaufort attended by most Thembu royalty, including Justice. The headmaster emphasised the superiority of European culture and government, but Mandela became increasingly interested in native African culture , making his first non-Xhosa friend,
1834-453: A group, named Ulundi, that represented all political prisoners (including Eddie Daniels ) on the island, through which he forged links with PAC and Yu Chi Chan Club members. Initiating the "University of Robben Island", whereby prisoners lectured on their own areas of expertise, he debated socio-political topics with his comrades. Though attending Christian Sunday services, Mandela studied Islam. He also studied Afrikaans , hoping to build
1965-405: A lack of teachers leading to overcrowding; a lack of textbooks; a lack of basic facilities like toilets, electricity or water; and poor transport infrastructure which regularly absents and endangers learners. The problem is particularly acute in the former Transkei . By 2011, basic education had so deteriorated that the national Department of Basic Education intervened under section 100(1)(b) of
2096-482: A lime quarry. Mandela was initially forbidden to wear sunglasses, and the glare from the lime permanently damaged his eyesight. At night, he worked on his LLB degree, which he was obtaining from the University of London through a correspondence course with Wolsey Hall, Oxford , but newspapers were forbidden, and he was locked in solitary confinement on several occasions for the possession of smuggled news clippings. He
2227-615: A mutual respect with the warders and convert them to his cause. Various official visitors met with Mandela, most significantly the liberal parliamentary representative Helen Suzman of the Progressive Party , who championed Mandela's cause outside of prison. In September 1970, he met British Labour Party politician Denis Healey . South African Minister of Justice Jimmy Kruger visited in December 1974, but he and Mandela did not get along with each other. His mother visited in 1968, dying shortly after, and his firstborn son Thembi died in
2358-576: A political path as a lawyer rather than become a privy councillor in Thembuland. Mandela began studying law at the University of the Witwatersrand , where he was the only black African student and faced racism. There, he befriended liberal and communist European, Jewish and Indian students, among them Joe Slovo and Ruth First . Becoming increasingly politicised, Mandela marched in August 1943 in support of
2489-460: A political speech. Found guilty, he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment; as he left the courtroom, supporters sang " Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika ". I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to see realised. But if it needs be, it
2620-452: A realization of the dangerous situation to which Nationalist policy is leading. We hope that we will bring the Government and its supporters to their senses before it is too late so that both government and its policies can be changed before matters reach the desperate stage of civil war. — Statement released by MK to announce the start of their sabotage campaign Operating through
2751-465: A rented house in the township of Orlando in early 1946. Their first child, Madiba "Thembi" Thembekile, was born in February 1945; a daughter, Makaziwe, was born in 1947 but died of meningitis nine months later. Mandela enjoyed home life, welcoming his mother and his sister, Leabie, to stay with him. In early 1947, his three years of articles ended at Witkin, Sidelsky and Eidelman, and he decided to become
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#17328441814502882-463: A seminal influence on Mandela's thought. The speech laid out a contingency plan for a scenario in which the ANC was banned. This Mandela Plan, or M-Plan, involved dividing the organisation into a cell structure with a more centralised leadership. Mandela obtained work as an attorney for the firm Terblanche and Briggish, before moving to the liberal-run Helman and Michel, passing qualification exams to become
3013-701: A significant part of his life. He attended a Methodist mission school located next to the palace, where he studied English, Xhosa, history and geography. He developed a love of African history , listening to the tales told by elderly visitors to the palace, and was influenced by the anti-imperialist rhetoric of a visiting chief, Joyi. Nevertheless, at the time he considered the European colonizers not as oppressors but as benefactors who had brought education and other benefits to southern Africa. Aged 16, he, his cousin Justice and several other boys travelled to Tyhalarha to undergo
3144-437: A six-month course in guerrilla warfare, but completed only two months before being recalled to South Africa by the ANC's leadership. On 5 August 1962, police captured Mandela along with fellow activist Cecil Williams near Howick . Many MK members suspected that the authorities had been tipped off with regard to Mandela's whereabouts, although Mandela himself gave these ideas little credence. In later years, Donald Rickard ,
3275-662: A speaker of Sotho , and coming under the influence of one of his favourite teachers, a Xhosa who broke taboo by marrying a Sotho. Mandela spent much of his spare time at Healdtown as a long-distance runner and boxer, and in his second year he became a prefect . In 1939, with Jongintaba's backing, Mandela began work on a BA degree at the University of Fort Hare , an elite black institution of approximately 150 students in Alice, Eastern Cape . He studied English, anthropology , politics, "native administration", and Roman Dutch law in his first year, desiring to become an interpreter or clerk in
3406-444: A successful bus boycott to reverse fare rises. Joining the ANC, he was increasingly influenced by Sisulu, spending time with other activists at Sisulu's Orlando house, including his old friend Oliver Tambo. In 1943, Mandela met Anton Lembede , an ANC member affiliated with the "Africanist" branch of African nationalism , which was virulently opposed to a racially united front against colonialism and imperialism or to an alliance with
3537-416: A verdict of not guilty, ruling that there was insufficient evidence to convict the accused of "high treason", since they had advocated neither communism nor violent revolution; the outcome embarrassed the government. Disguised as a chauffeur, Mandela travelled around the country incognito, organising the ANC's new cell structure and the planned mass stay-at-home strike. Referred to as the "Black Pimpernel" in
3668-583: Is a tributary of the Kouga. Although the rainfall in the catchment area is low, it supports a commercial irrigated agriculture in the lower catchment in which oranges , tobacco , citrus fruit and vegetables are grown. There is an estuary where the Gamtoos river enters the Indian Ocean . It is located between Jeffreys Bay and Port Elizabeth and the Gamtoos River Mouth Nature Reserve
3799-469: Is also known for its traditional Xhosa initiation schools, which perform coming-of-age ceremonies known as ulwaluko which involve circumcision. These ceremonies have been linked to numerous complications such as coma, illness and death. There have been numerous reports in South African newspapers investigating the poor practices which lead to the death of young men and boys during initiation rituals. In one case, an 18-year-old teenager named Yongama Boya
3930-494: Is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. — Mandela's Rivonia Trial Speech , 1964 On 11 July 1963, police raided Liliesleaf Farm, arresting those that they found there and uncovering paperwork documenting MK's activities, some of which mentioned Mandela. The Rivonia Trial began at Pretoria Supreme Court in October, with Mandela and his comrades charged with four counts of sabotage and conspiracy to violently overthrow
4061-712: Is based in Bhisho , the provincial capital. The Eastern Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa is situated in Makhanda (Grahamstown), with local seats in Gqhebera (Port Elizabeth), East London, and Bhisho. Like South Africa's other provinces, the Eastern Cape has a parliamentary system of government, with the premier of the province elected by the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature . The premier then selects
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4192-516: Is based on the will of the people. — Opening words of the Freedom Charter After taking part in the unsuccessful protest to prevent the forced relocation of all black people from the Sophiatown suburb of Johannesburg in February 1955, Mandela concluded that violent action would prove necessary to end apartheid and white minority rule. On his advice, Sisulu requested weaponry from
4323-471: Is due to a number of conditions such as lack of healthcare resources, lack of means to access healthcare resources, high unemployment, and poverty. Illiteracy is also a problem in rural communities, which further limits positive health outcomes. HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis are also ongoing issues in the region. In 2017, the Eastern Cape had a TB incidence of 839/100,000 people, which was higher than South Africa's estimated prevalence of 737/100,000. Additionally,
4454-478: Is highly varied. The west is dry with sparse rain during winter or summer, with frosty winters and hot summers. The area Tsitsikamma to Grahamstown receives more precipitation, which is also relatively evenly distributed and temperatures are mild. Further east, rainfall becomes more plentiful and humidity increases, becoming more subtropical along the coast with summer rainfall. The interior can become very cold in winter, with heavy snowfalls occasionally occurring in
4585-503: Is in the area. The towns of Hankey , the oldest town situated in the Gamtoos river valley, and Patensie are situated in the lower catchment. Further inland are the towns of Steytlerville , Joubertina , Uniondale , Willowmore and Murraysburg . Tributaries include the Loerie River , Klein River , Hol River , besides the Groot and the Kouga that form the Gamtoos. Saartjie Baartman -
4716-521: Is largely arid Karoo , while the east is well-watered and green. The Eastern Cape offers a wide array of attractions, including 800 kilometres (500 mi) of untouched and pristine coastline along with beaches, and big-five game viewing in a malaria -free environment. The Addo Elephant National Park , situated 73 kilometres (45 mi) from Port Elizabeth , was proclaimed in 1931. Its 743 square kilometres (287 sq mi) offers sanctuary to 170 elephants, 400 Cape buffalo and 21 black rhino of
4847-458: Is one of the nine provinces of South Africa . Its capital is Bhisho , and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also known for being home to many anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela . The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km ) after the Northern Cape , it
4978-464: Is slowly giving way to game farming on large scale. Eco-tourism is resulting in economic benefits, and there is lower risk needed to protect wild, native game against drought, and the natural elements. Habitat loss and poaching pose the greatest problems. The area around Stutterheim is being cultivated extensively with timber plantations. The basis of the province's fishing industry is squid , some recreational and commercial fishing for line fish,
5109-455: Is the second largest party and forms the official opposition . The results of the most recent provincial election in 2024 are as follows: The Eastern Cape Department of Education has been criticised for poor primary and secondary education resulting from dysfunction, special interests, and issues with the South Africa teachers union, SADTU . The province struggles with a lack of schools;
5240-658: The 1994 multiracial general election in which Mandela led the ANC to victory and became president. Leading a broad coalition government which promulgated a new constitution , Mandela emphasised reconciliation between the country's racial groups and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses. Economically, his administration retained its predecessor's liberal framework despite his own socialist beliefs, also introducing measures to encourage land reform , combat poverty and expand healthcare services. Internationally, Mandela acted as mediator in
5371-441: The 2022 census , the Eastern Cape had a population of 7,230,204, an increase of 10.2% from the prior census in 2011 . It is the fourth-most populous of South Africa's nine provinces. The median age is 27, an increase of 5 years from 2011. In the 2022 census, 85.7% of the population described themselves as Black African , 7.6% as Coloured , 5.6% as White and 0.5% as Indian/Asian . A large majority of Black African people in
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5502-635: The African National Congress (ANC) who wanted South Africa to be independent of the British Empire , Mandela avoided any involvement with the nascent movement, and became a vocal supporter of the British war effort when the Second World War broke out. At the end of his first year he became involved in a students' representative council (SRC) boycott against the quality of food, for which he
5633-726: The Cape Colony (1806) and encouraged British citizens to migrate there as a means to boost the British population in the area. From the early 1800s until the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, the Eastern Cape saw colonisation by British migrants . English settlers established most of the towns, naming them either for places in England or for the original founders. British colonisation saw schools, churches, hospitals, town centres and government buildings built to speed up development. Some of
5764-649: The Constitution of South Africa , taking control of the province's educational administration. The Eastern Cape has since been the worst-performing province educationally and especially in terms of matriculation ; matriculants' results averaged 51% in 2009, 58.3% in 2011, 64.9% in 2013, 65.4% in 2014, and 56.8% in 2015. In the 2015/2016 financial year, the province failed to spend R 530 million of its allocated R 1.5 billion budget for education, most of it intended for infrastructure development. Equal Education 's 2017 report, Planning to Fail, found
5895-624: The Group Areas Act ; as a result, their clientele dwindled. As a lawyer of aristocratic heritage, Mandela was part of Johannesburg's elite black middle-class, and accorded much respect from the black community. Although a second daughter, Makaziwe Phumia , was born in May 1954, Mandela's relationship with Evelyn became strained, and she accused him of adultery. He may have had affairs with ANC member Lillian Ngoyi and secretary Ruth Mompati; various individuals close to Mandela in this period have stated that
6026-913: The Krom River and subsequently they were also found in the Gamtoos River system. Until then it had been thought that its distribution was restricted to the area between the Keurbooms and the Olifants River . Although in South Africa this relatively delicate fish is only classified as near threatened , in Australia species of the same genus were driven to extinction by competing salmonids and other introduced species of fish. [REDACTED] Media related to Gamtoos River at Wikimedia Commons Eastern Cape Province The Eastern Cape ( Xhosa : iMpuma-Kapa ; Afrikaans : Oos-Kaap [ˈuəs.kɑːp] )
6157-457: The KwaZulu-Natal border – a region known previously as Transkei – is lush grassland on rolling hills, punctuated by deep gorges with intermittent forest. Eastern Cape has a coast on its east which lines southward, creating shores leading to the south Indian Ocean. In the northeast, it borders the following districts of Lesotho : Domestically, it borders the following provinces: Climate
6288-522: The National Party 's white-only government established apartheid, a system of racial segregation that privileged whites , Mandela and the ANC committed themselves to its overthrow. He was appointed president of the ANC's Transvaal branch, rising to prominence for his involvement in the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People . He was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and
6419-639: The Native Affairs Department . Mandela stayed in the Wesley House dormitory, befriending his own kinsman, K. D. Matanzima , as well as Oliver Tambo , who became a close friend and comrade for decades to come. He took up ballroom dancing, performed in a drama society play about Abraham Lincoln , and gave Bible classes in the local community as part of the Student Christian Association. Although he had friends who held connections to
6550-535: The Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial and served as secretary-general of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999. He declined a second presidential term and was succeeded by his deputy, Thabo Mbeki . Mandela became an elder statesman and focused on combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the charitable Nelson Mandela Foundation . Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Although critics on
6681-666: The R102 was opened in 1895 in order to replace the ferry that had been in use up to that time. A modern concrete bridge was built during the construction of the N2 in the early 1970s. Presently this river is part of the Fish to Tsitsikama Water Management Area . In 1995 specimens of the Cape galaxias ( Galaxias zebratus ), a South African fish species endemic to the Cape Floristic Region , were found in
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#17328441814506812-479: The Rivonia Trial , was sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiring to overthrow the state. Mandela served 27 years in prison, split between Robben Island , Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison . Amid growing domestic and international pressure and fears of racial civil war, President F. W. de Klerk released him in 1990. Mandela and de Klerk led efforts to negotiate an end to apartheid, which resulted in
6943-487: The induna (headman) discovered that he was a runaway. He stayed with a cousin in George Goch Township, who introduced Mandela to realtor and ANC activist Walter Sisulu . The latter secured Mandela a job as an articled clerk at the law firm of Witkin, Sidelsky and Eidelman, a company run by Lazar Sidelsky , a liberal Jew sympathetic to the ANC's cause. At the firm, Mandela befriended Gaur Radebe—a Hlubi member of
7074-708: The ulwaluko circumcision ritual that symbolically marked their transition from boys to men; afterwards he was given the name Dalibunga . Intending to gain skills needed to become a privy councillor for the Thembu royal house, Mandela began his secondary education in 1933 at Clarkebury Methodist High School in Engcobo , a Western-style institution that was the largest school for black Africans in Thembuland . Made to socialise with other students on an equal basis, he claimed that he lost his "stuck up" attitude, becoming best friends with
7205-676: The " Father of the Nation ". Mandela was born on 18 July 1918, in the village of Mvezo in Umtata , then part of South Africa's Cape Province . He was given the forename Rolihlahla, a Xhosa term colloquially meaning "troublemaker", and in later years became known by his clan name, Madiba. His patrilineal great-grandfather, Ngubengcuka , was ruler of the Thembu Kingdom in the Transkeian Territories of South Africa's modern Eastern Cape province. One of Ngubengcuka's sons, named Mandela,
7336-405: The "Great Place" palace at Mqhekezweni, where he was entrusted to the guardianship of the Thembu regent , Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo. Although he did not see his mother again for many years, Mandela felt that Jongintaba and his wife Noengland treated him as their own child, raising him alongside their children. As Mandela attended church services every Sunday with his guardians, Christianity became
7467-490: The "Hottentot Venus" - was born around 1789 in the vicinity of the Gamtoos river. In 1877 during a severe drought in the region, the Gamtoos River dried up completely. During the floods of October 1867, according to John Croumbie Brown , the level of water in some parts of the river rose by up to 21 m (70 ft). Two bridges cross the Gamtoos close to its mouth in the Kouga . The original 180-metre (600 ft) bridge on
7598-509: The ANC and Communist Party —and Nat Bregman, a Jewish communist who became his first white friend. Mandela attended Communist Party gatherings, where he was impressed that Europeans , Africans , Indians , and Coloureds mixed as equals. He later stated that he did not join the party because its atheism conflicted with his Christian faith, and because he saw the South African struggle as being racially based rather than as class warfare . To continue his higher education, Mandela signed up to
7729-570: The ANC and PAC; in March, they arrested Mandela and other activists, imprisoning them for five months without charge in the unsanitary conditions of the Pretoria Local prison. Imprisonment caused problems for Mandela and his co-defendants in the Treason Trial; their lawyers could not reach them, and so it was decided that the lawyers would withdraw in protest until the accused were freed from prison when
7860-553: The ANCYL, considering their ideology un-African. In 1947, Mandela was elected to the executive committee of the ANC's Transvaal Province branch, serving under regional president C. S. Ramohanoe. When Ramohanoe acted against the wishes of the committee by co-operating with Indians and communists, Mandela was one of those who forced his resignation. In the South African general election in 1948 , in which only whites were permitted to vote,
7991-586: The Afrikaner-dominated Herenigde Nasionale Party under Daniel François Malan took power, soon uniting with the Afrikaner Party to form the National Party . Openly racialist , the party codified and expanded racial segregation with new apartheid legislation . Gaining increasing influence in the ANC, Mandela and his party cadre allies began advocating direct action against apartheid, such as boycotts and strikes, influenced by
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#17328441814508122-541: The BCM called for militant action, but, following the Soweto uprising of 1976, many BCM activists were imprisoned on Robben Island. Mandela tried to build a relationship with these young radicals, although he was critical of their racialism and contempt for white anti-apartheid activists. Renewed international interest in his plight came in July 1978, when he celebrated his 60th birthday. He
8253-499: The Coega IDZ near Port Elizabeth. Coega is the largest infrastructure development in post- apartheid South Africa. The construction of the deepwater Port of Ngqura was completed and the first commercial ship anchored in October 2009. Other sectors include finance, real estate, business services, wholesale and retail trade, eco-tourism (nature reserves and game ranches) and hotels and restaurants. The Eastern Cape provincial government
8384-447: The Eastern Cape has a high overall HIV prevalence rate (25.2%) as of 2017. In 2018, HIV/AIDS was the second leading underlying natural cause of death in the Eastern Cape with a 5.9% prevalence rate. Since 2017, there has been an increase in the level of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which disproportionately affects poorer communities. Furthermore, obesity and undiagnosed hypertension are major concerns in rural areas. The Eastern Cape
8515-412: The Eastern Cape has many hospitals and private clinics, the province has some of the worst health outcomes and service indicators in South Africa. Some of this can be attributed to staff shortages, with a report indicating that 67% of the 27 monitored facilities have insufficient staff. Rural residents in the Eastern Cape face worse health outcomes than those who reside in the larger towns or cities. This
8646-479: The Karoo there is widespread sheep farming. The Alexandria-Makhanda area produces pineapples, chicory and dairy products, while coffee and tea are cultivated at Magwa. People in the former Transkei region are dependent on cattle, maize and sorghum-farming. An olive nursery has been developed in collaboration with the University of Fort Hare to form a nucleus of olive production in the Eastern Cape. Domestic stock farming
8777-737: The MK constitution. Although in later life Mandela denied, for political reasons, ever being a member of the Communist Party, historical research published in 2011 strongly suggested that he had joined in the late 1950s or early 1960s. This was confirmed by both the SACP and the ANC after Mandela's death. According to the SACP, he was not only a member of the party, but also served on its Central Committee. We of Umkhonto have always sought to achieve liberation without bloodshed and civil clash. Even at this late hour, we hope that our first actions will awaken everyone to
8908-497: The People , calling on all South Africans to send in proposals for a post-apartheid era. Based on the responses, a Freedom Charter was drafted by Rusty Bernstein , calling for the creation of a democratic, non-racialist state with the nationalisation of major industry. The charter was adopted at a June 1955 conference in Kliptown , which was forcibly closed down by police. The tenets of the Freedom Charter remained important for Mandela, and in 1956 he described it as "an inspiration to
9039-399: The People's Republic of China, which was denied. Although the Chinese government supported the anti-apartheid struggle, they believed the movement insufficiently prepared for guerrilla warfare . With the involvement of the South African Indian Congress , the Coloured People's Congress, the South African Congress of Trade Unions and the Congress of Democrats , the ANC planned a Congress of
9170-409: The Tsitsikamma region. The coast is generally rugged with interspersed beaches. Most of the province is hilly to very mountainous between Graaff-Reinet and Rhodes including the Sneeuberge (English: Snow Mountains), Stormberge , Winterberge and Drakensberg (English: Dragon Mountains). The highest point in the province is Ben Macdhui at 3001 m. The east from East London and Queenstown towards
9301-571: The allegations and fought for custody of their children. She withdrew her petition of separation in November, but Mandela filed for divorce in January 1958; the divorce was finalised in March, with the children placed in Evelyn's care. During the divorce proceedings, he began courting a social worker, Winnie Madikizela , whom he married in Bizana in June 1958. She later became involved in ANC activities, spending several weeks in prison. Together they had two children: Zenani , born in February 1959, and Zindziswa (1960–2020). In December 1956, Mandela
9432-703: The automotive industry. General Motors and Volkswagen both have major assembly lines in the Port Elizabeth area, while East London is dominated by the large DaimlerChrysler plant, now known as Mercedes-Benz South Africa. Environmental-friendly projects include the Fish River Spatial Development Initiative, the Wild Coast SDI, and two industrial development zones, the East London Industrial Development Zone and
9563-884: The best colonial architecture of the 19th century in the province. The two major cities lining the coast are East London and Port Elizabeth. The Eastern Cape has been home to many major anti-apartheid leaders such as Robert Sobukwe , Oliver Tambo , Nelson Mandela , Walter Sisulu , Winnie Mandela , Govan Mbeki , Alfred Xuma , Cecilia Makiwane , Noni Jabavu , Thabo Mbeki , Chris Hani , Bantu Holomisa , Steve Biko , musicians Miriam Makeba , Madosini , Nathi , Dali Mpofu , Vusi Nova and Zahara , as well as historical figures such as Rev. Tiyo Soga , Samuel Mqhayi , Mongezi Sifika wa Nkomo , Enoch Sontonga and Jotello Festiri Soga . Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( / m æ n ˈ d ɛ l ə / man- DEL -ə , Xhosa: [xolíɬaɬa mandɛ̂ːla] ; born Rolihlahla Mandela ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013)
9694-533: The best-known black political figures in South Africa. With further protests, the ANC's membership grew from 20,000 to 100,000 members; the government responded with mass arrests and introduced the Public Safety Act, 1953 to permit martial law . In May, authorities banned Transvaal ANC president J. B. Marks from making public appearances; unable to maintain his position, he recommended Mandela as his successor. Although Africanists opposed his candidacy, Mandela
9825-616: The camaraderie and scenery of the island. Getting on well with Pollsmoor's commanding officer, Brigadier Munro, Mandela was permitted to create a roof garden ; he also read voraciously and corresponded widely, now being permitted 52 letters a year. He was appointed patron of the multi-racial United Democratic Front (UDF), founded to combat reforms implemented by South African president P. W. Botha . Botha's National Party government had permitted Coloured and Indian citizens to vote for their own parliaments, which had control over education, health and housing, but black Africans were excluded from
9956-438: The collection of marine resources, and access to line-catches of hake . With three import/export harbours and three airports offering direct flights to the main centres, and an excellent road and rail infrastructure, the province has been earmarked as a key area for growth and economic development in modern South Africa. The two major industrial centres, Port Elizabeth and East London have well-developed economies based on
10087-405: The communists. Despite his friendships with non-blacks and communists, Mandela embraced Lembede's views, believing that black Africans should be entirely independent in their struggle for political self-determination. Deciding on the need for a youth wing to mass-mobilise Africans in opposition to their subjugation, Mandela was among a delegation that approached ANC president Alfred Bitini Xuma on
10218-576: The compound of the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association , living among miners of various tribes; as the compound was visited by various chiefs, he once met the Queen Regent of Basutoland . In late 1941, Jongintaba visited Johannesburg—there forgiving Mandela for running away—before returning to Thembuland, where he died in the winter of 1942. After he passed his BA exams in early 1943, Mandela returned to Johannesburg to follow
10349-804: The conference. After the symposium, he travelled to Cairo , Egypt, admiring the political reforms of President Gamal Abdel Nasser , and in April 1962 he went to Morocco where asked El Khatib to meet the king to ask him to give him £5,000. The next day he got the £5,000 along with some weapons and training to Mandela's soldier, and then went to Tunis , Tunisia, where President Habib Bourguiba gave him £5,000 for weaponry. He proceeded to Morocco, Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Senegal, receiving funds from Liberian president William Tubman and Guinean president Ahmed Sékou Touré . He left Africa for London, England, where he met anti-apartheid activists, reporters and prominent politicians. Upon returning to Ethiopia, he began
10480-670: The government refused, relying on its Cold War allies US president Ronald Reagan and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher ; both considered Mandela's ANC a terrorist organisation sympathetic to communism and supported its suppression. In April 1982, Mandela was transferred to Pollsmoor Prison in Tokai, Cape Town , along with senior ANC leaders Walter Sisulu, Andrew Mlangeni, Ahmed Kathrada and Raymond Mhlaba; they believed that they were being isolated to remove their influence on younger activists at Robben Island. Conditions at Pollsmoor were better than at Robben Island, although Mandela missed
10611-406: The government; their chief prosecutor was Percy Yutar . Judge Quartus de Wet soon threw out the prosecution's case for insufficient evidence, but Yutar reformulated the charges, presenting his new case from December 1963 until February 1964, calling 173 witnesses and bringing thousands of documents and photographs to the trial. Although four of the accused denied involvement with MK, Mandela and
10742-461: The idea of a classless society which, to [his] mind, was similar to traditional African culture where life was shared and communal." In April 1952, Mandela began work at the H.M. Basner law firm, which was owned by a communist, although his increasing commitment to work and activism meant he spent less time with his family. In 1952, the ANC began preparation for a joint Defiance Campaign against apartheid with Indian and communist groups, founding
10873-550: The idea of a multi-racial front against apartheid. Influenced by friends like Moses Kotane and by the Soviet Union 's support for wars of national liberation , his mistrust of communism broke down and he began reading literature by Karl Marx , Vladimir Lenin , and Mao Zedong , eventually embracing the Marxist philosophy of dialectical materialism . Commenting on communism, he later stated that he "found [himself] strongly drawn to
11004-712: The late 18th century the Dutch Cape Colony slowly expanded eastwards from its original centre around Cape Town. This led to the establishment in 1786 of the Dutch settlement of Graaff-Reinet – named for the Governor of the Cape Colony Cornelius Jacob van de Graaff (in office: 1785–1791) and for his wife Hester Cornelia van de Graaff (née Reynet). Later, during the Napoleonic wars of 1803–1815, Britain took control of
11135-457: The latter bore him a child. Disgusted by her son's behaviour, Nosekeni returned to Transkei, while Evelyn embraced the Jehovah's Witnesses and rejected Mandela's preoccupation with politics. We, the people of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know: That South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it
11266-504: The members of the Executive Council (cabinet). The current premier is Oscar Mabuyane of the African National Congress (ANC). The provincial legislature is elected every five years by a system of party-list proportional representation . The most recent provincial election was held in 2024 , which was won by the ANC, which has governed the province continuously since the end of Apartheid in 1994 . The Democratic Alliance (DA)
11397-598: The military theorist Carl von Clausewitz . Although initially declared officially separate from the ANC so as not to taint the latter's reputation, MK was later widely recognised as the party's armed wing. Most early MK members were white communists who were able to conceal Mandela in their homes; after hiding in communist Wolfie Kodesh's flat in Berea , Mandela moved to the communist-owned Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia , there joined by Raymond Mhlaba , Slovo and Bernstein, who put together
11528-446: The monarch; he was appointed to the position in 1915, after his predecessor was accused of corruption by a governing white magistrate. In 1926, Gadla was also sacked for corruption, but Nelson was told that his father had lost his job for standing up to the magistrate's unreasonable demands. A devotee of the god Qamata , Gadla was a polygamist with four wives, four sons and nine daughters, who lived in different villages. Nelson's mother
11659-425: The mountainous regions between Molteno and Rhodes . The Eastern Cape Province is divided into two metropolitan municipalities and six district municipalities . The district municipalities are in turn divided into 27 local municipalities . Major cities and towns include the following (in the case of places that have been renamed , the traditional name is listed first followed by the new official name): As of
11790-417: The older European settlements include Fort Beaufort (1814), Grahamstown (1812), Port Elizabeth (1820), Salem (1820), Bathurst (1820), East London (1836), Paterson (1879), Cradock (1814), Fort Beaufort (1816) and King William's Town (1836). The Eastern Cape gets progressively wetter from west to east. The west is mostly semiarid Karoo , except in the far south, which is temperate rainforest in
11921-495: The other being KwaZulu-Natal . In the 2022 census, 81.8% of the population reported their first language as Xhosa , 9.6% as Afrikaans , 4.8% as English , and 2.4% as Sotho . The Eastern Cape is the only province in which native Xhosa-speakers form a majority of the population. As of the 2022 census, 86.1% of the population described themselves as Christians , 11.0% stated that they practiced Traditional African religions, and 0.6% described themselves as Muslim . 1.5% of
12052-494: The other five accused admitted sabotage but denied that they had ever agreed to initiate guerrilla war against the government. They used the trial to highlight their political cause; at the opening of the defence's proceedings, Mandela gave his three-hour " I Am Prepared to Die " speech. That speech—which was inspired by Castro's " History Will Absolve Me "—was widely reported in the press despite official censorship. The trial gained international attention; there were global calls for
12183-587: The passes that they were legally obliged to carry . One of the PAC-organised demonstrations was fired upon by police, resulting in the deaths of 69 protesters in the Sharpeville massacre . The incident brought international condemnation of the government and resulted in rioting throughout South Africa, with Mandela publicly burning his pass in solidarity. Responding to the unrest, the government implemented state of emergency measures, declaring martial law and banning
12314-751: The people of South Africa". Following the end of a second ban in September 1955, Mandela went on a working holiday to Transkei to discuss the implications of the Bantu Authorities Act, 1951 with local Xhosa chiefs, also visiting his mother and Noengland before proceeding to Cape Town . In March 1956, he received his third ban on public appearances, restricting him to Johannesburg for five years, but he often defied it. Mandela's marriage broke down and Evelyn left him, taking their children to live with her brother. Initiating divorce proceedings in May 1956, she claimed that Mandela had physically abused her; he denied
12445-540: The population described themselves as being atheist, agnostic, or having no religious affiliation. The Eastern Cape is the poorest province in South Africa and has the highest expanded and official unemployment rate in the country. Subsistence agriculture predominates in the former homelands, resulting in widespread poverty. A multi billion Rand industrial development zone and deep water port are being developed in Coega to boost investment in export-oriented industries. Overall
12576-599: The president of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997. A Xhosa , Mandela was born into the Thembu royal family in Mvezo , South Africa. He studied law at the University of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand before working as a lawyer in Johannesburg . There he became involved in anti-colonial and African nationalist politics, joining the ANC in 1943 and co-founding its Youth League in 1944. After
12707-482: The press—a reference to Emma Orczy 's 1905 novel The Scarlet Pimpernel —a warrant for his arrest was put out by the police. Mandela held secret meetings with reporters, and after the government failed to prevent the strike, he warned them that many anti-apartheid activists would soon resort to violence through groups like the PAC's Poqo . He believed that the ANC should form an armed group to channel some of this violence in
12838-605: The prison on Robben Island , remaining there for the next 18 years. Isolated from non-political prisoners in Section B, Mandela was imprisoned in a damp concrete cell measuring 8 feet (2.4 m) by 7 feet (2.1 m), with a straw mat on which to sleep. Verbally and physically harassed by several white prison wardens, the Rivonia Trial prisoners spent their days breaking rocks into gravel, until being reassigned in January 1965 to work in
12969-647: The prosecution withdrew its indictment, submitting a reformulated version in November which argued that the ANC leadership committed high treason by advocating violent revolution, a charge the defendants denied. In April 1959, Africanists dissatisfied with the ANC's united front approach founded the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC); Mandela disagreed with the PAC's racially exclusionary views, describing them as "immature" and "naïve". Both parties took part in an anti-pass campaign in early 1960, in which Africans burned
13100-581: The province are Xhosa , with 78.8% of residents in Eastern Cape identifying as Xhosa as of 2011. Unlike most of South Africa , a substantial proportion of the White population is of British descent . Roughly half of White South Africans in Eastern Cape are English-speakers of British descent while the other half are of Boer / Afrikaner ancestry. Eastern Cape is one of only two provinces in South Africa where Whites of British descent outnumber Boers/Afrikaners,
13231-482: The province only contributes 8% to the national GDP despite making 13.5% of the population. The real GDP of Eastern Cape stands at an estimated R230.3billion in 2017, making the province the fourth largest regional economy in SA ahead of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. There is much fertile land in the Eastern Cape, and agriculture remains important. The fertile Langkloof Valley in the southwest has large deciduous fruit orchards . In
13362-513: The release of the accused from the United Nations and World Peace Council , while the University of London Union voted Mandela to its presidency. On 12 June 1964, justice De Wet found Mandela and two of his co-accused guilty on all four charges; although the prosecution had called for the death sentence to be applied, the judge instead condemned them to life imprisonment . In 1964, Mandela and his co-accused were transferred from Pretoria to
13493-529: The right denounced him as a communist terrorist and those on the far left deemed him too eager to negotiate and reconcile with apartheid's supporters, he gained international acclaim for his activism. Globally regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice , he received more than 250 honours , including the Nobel Peace Prize . He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Thembu clan name , Madiba, and described as
13624-551: The southern bank of the Orange River , is an inland resort known for its hot springs . The rugged and unspoiled Wild Coast is a place of spectacular scenery. The coastal areas have been a graveyard for many vessels. Whittlesea, Eastern Cape , situated in the Amatola Mountains , is known for the first wine estate in the province. King William's Town, Alice, Queenstown, Grahamstown, Cradock and Fort Beaufort offer some of
13755-547: The standard of their food was raised. In 1969, an escape plan for Mandela was developed by Gordon Bruce, but it was abandoned after the conspiracy was infiltrated by an agent of the South African Bureau of State Security (BOSS), who hoped to see Mandela shot during the escape. In 1970, Commander Piet Badenhorst became commanding officer. Mandela, seeing an increase in the physical and mental abuse of prisoners, complained to visiting judges, who had Badenhorst reassigned. He
13886-414: The state of emergency was lifted in late August 1960. Over the following months, Mandela used his free time to organise an All-In African Conference near Pietermaritzburg , Natal , in March 1961, at which 1,400 anti-apartheid delegates met, agreeing on a stay-at-home strike to mark 31 May, the day South Africa became a republic. On 29 March 1961, six years after the Treason Trial began, the judges produced
14017-491: The strike because it was multi-racial and not ANC-led, but a majority of black workers took part, resulting in increased police repression and the introduction of the Suppression of Communism Act, 1950 , affecting the actions of all protest groups. At the ANC national conference of December 1951, he continued arguing against a racially united front, but was outvoted. Thereafter, Mandela rejected Lembede's Africanism and embraced
14148-642: The subject at his home in Sophiatown ; the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) was founded on Easter Sunday 1944 in the Bantu Men's Social Centre , with Lembede as president and Mandela as a member of its executive committee. At Sisulu's house, Mandela met Evelyn Mase , a trainee nurse and ANC activist from Engcobo, Transkei. Entering a relationship and marrying in October 1944, they initially lived with her relatives until moving into
14279-496: The tactics already employed by South Africa's Indian community. Xuma did not support these measures and was removed from the presidency in a vote of no confidence , replaced by James Moroka and a more militant executive committee containing Sisulu, Mda, Tambo and Godfrey Pitje. Mandela later related that he and his colleagues had "guided the ANC to a more radical and revolutionary path." Having devoted his time to politics, Mandela failed his final year at Witwatersrand three times; he
14410-469: The time; prison authorities discovered several pages, and his LLB study privileges were revoked for four years. Instead, he devoted his spare time to gardening and reading until the authorities permitted him to resume his LLB degree studies in 1980. By the late 1960s, Mandela's fame had been eclipsed by Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM). Seeing the ANC as ineffectual,
14541-456: The trial to showcase "the ANC's moral opposition to racism" while supporters demonstrated outside the court. Moved to Pretoria, where Winnie could visit him, he began correspondence studies for a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of London International Programmes . His hearing began in October, but he disrupted proceedings by wearing a traditional kaross , refusing to call any witnesses, and turning his plea of mitigation into
14672-542: The very scarce Kenyan sub-species. The province is the location of Tiffindell , South Africa's only snow skiing resort, which is situated near the hamlet of Rhodes in the Southern Drakensberg . It is on the slopes of Ben Macdhui , the highest mountain peak in the Eastern Cape 3,001 metres (9,846 ft). The National Arts Festival , held annually in Grahamstown , is Africa's largest cultural event, offering
14803-540: Was Gadla's third wife, Nosekeni Fanny, daughter of Nkedama of the Right Hand House and a member of the amaMpemvu clan of the Xhosa. No one in my family had ever attended school ... On the first day of school my teacher, Miss Mdingane, gave each of us an English name. This was the custom among Africans in those days and was undoubtedly due to the British bias of our education. That day, Miss Mdingane told me that my new name
14934-459: Was Nelson's grandfather and the source of his surname. Because Mandela was the king's child by a wife of the Ixhiba clan, a so-called "Left-Hand House", the descendants of his cadet branch of the royal family were morganatic , ineligible to inherit the throne but recognised as hereditary royal councillors. Nelson Mandela's father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa Mandela, was a local chief and councillor to
15065-399: Was Nelson. Why this particular name, I have no idea. — Mandela, 1994 Mandela later stated that his early life was dominated by traditional Xhosa custom and taboo. He grew up with two sisters in his mother's kraal in the village of Qunu , where he tended herds as a cattle-boy and spent much time outside with other boys. Both his parents were illiterate, but his mother, being
15196-422: Was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by fostering racial reconciliation . Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist , he served as
15327-520: Was appointed to prosecute the case, and in February the judge ruled that there was "sufficient reason" for the defendants to go on trial in the Transvaal Supreme Court . The formal Treason Trial began in Pretoria in August 1958, with the defendants successfully applying to have the three judges—all linked to the governing National Party—replaced. In August, one charge was dropped, and in October
15458-467: Was arrested alongside most of the ANC national executive and accused of "high treason" against the state. Held in Johannesburg Prison amid mass protests, they underwent a preparatory examination before being granted bail. The defence's refutation began in January 1957, overseen by defence lawyer Vernon Berrangé , and continued until the case was adjourned in September. In January 1958, Oswald Pirow
15589-725: Was awarded an honorary doctorate in Lesotho, the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in India in 1979, and the Freedom of the City of Glasgow , Scotland in 1981. In March 1980, the slogan "Free Mandela!" was developed by journalist Percy Qoboza , sparking an international campaign that led the UN Security Council to call for his release. Despite increasing foreign pressure,
15720-788: Was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize , MK publicly announced its existence with 57 bombings on Dingane's Day (16 December) 1961, followed by further attacks on New Year's Eve. The ANC decided to send Mandela as a delegate to the February 1962 meeting of the Pan-African Freedom Movement for East, Central and Southern Africa (PAFMECSA) in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia. Leaving South Africa in secret via Bechuanaland , on his way Mandela visited Tanganyika and met with its president, Julius Nyerere . Arriving in Ethiopia, Mandela met with Emperor Haile Selassie I , and gave his speech after Selassie's at
15851-440: Was elected to be regional president in October. In July 1952, Mandela was arrested under the Suppression of Communism Act and stood trial as one of the 21 accused—among them Moroka, Sisulu and Yusuf Dadoo —in Johannesburg. Found guilty of "statutory communism", a term that the government used to describe most opposition to apartheid, their sentence of nine months' hard labour was suspended for two years. In December, Mandela
15982-591: Was formed in 1994 out of the Xhosa homelands or bantustans of Transkei and Ciskei , together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province . The central and eastern part of the province is the traditional home of the indigenous Xhosa people . In 1820 this area, which was known as the Xhosa Kingdom , began to be settled by Europeans who originally came from England , Scotland and Ireland . The Eastern Cape province
16113-661: Was formed in 1994, incorporating areas from the former Xhosa homelands of the Transkei and Ciskei , together with what was previously part of the Cape Province . This resulted in several anomalies, including the fact that the Province has four supreme courts (in Makhanda (Grahamstown), Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Bhisho and Mthatha , and had enclaves of KwaZulu-Natal in the province. The latter anomaly has fallen away with amendments to municipal and provincial boundaries. The Xhosa Kingdom
16244-463: Was given a six-month ban from attending meetings or talking to more than one individual at a time, making his Transvaal ANC presidency impractical, and during this period the Defiance Campaign petered out. In September 1953, Andrew Kunene read out Mandela's "No Easy Walk to Freedom" speech at a Transvaal ANC meeting; the title was taken from a quote by Indian independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru ,
16375-526: Was initially classified as the lowest grade of prisoner, Class D, meaning that he was permitted one visit and one letter every six months, although all mail was heavily censored. The political prisoners took part in work and hunger strikes —the latter considered largely ineffective by Mandela—to improve prison conditions, viewing this as a microcosm of the anti-apartheid struggle. ANC prisoners elected him to their four-man "High Organ" along with Sisulu, Govan Mbeki and Raymond Mhlaba, and he involved himself in
16506-532: Was one of the most powerful kingdoms in Africa, and had all states in the Eastern Cape as tributaries. Any group, people, or tribe that recognised the Xhosa Kingdom as Paramouncy became Xhosa, practiced Xhosa culture and used isiXhosa as their main language. Some of the tribes that fall under the category of Xhosa people include: AmaMpondo, AbaThembu, AmaMpondomise, AmaHlubi, AmaBhaca, AmaXesibe, AmaBomvana and more. In
16637-440: Was replaced by Commander Willie Willemse, who developed a co-operative relationship with Mandela and was keen to improve prison standards. By 1975, Mandela had become a Class A prisoner, which allowed him greater numbers of visits and letters. He corresponded with anti-apartheid activists like Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Desmond Tutu . That year, he began his autobiography, which was smuggled to London, but remained unpublished at
16768-538: Was sent to the hospital to be circumcised, as his parents believed this would be the safer option. Then, he was sent to complete the rest of his initiation ritual in a traditional initiation school in the Qumbu area of the Transkei. There, the nurse refused to accept the validity of his prior circumcision at the hospital, and she circumcised him again, resulting in his death. The landscape is extremely diverse. The western interior
16899-410: Was suspended from the university; he never returned to complete his degree. Returning to Mqhekezweni in December 1940, Mandela found that Jongintaba had arranged marriages for him and Justice; dismayed, they fled to Johannesburg via Queenstown , arriving in April 1941. Mandela found work as a night watchman at Crown Mines, his "first sight of South African capitalism in action", but was fired when
17030-497: Was ultimately denied his degree in December 1949. Mandela took Xuma's place on the ANC national executive in March 1950, and that same year was elected national president of the ANCYL. In March, the Defend Free Speech Convention was held in Johannesburg, bringing together African, Indian and communist activists to call a May Day general strike in protest against apartheid and white minority rule. Mandela opposed
17161-410: Was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the 1956 Treason Trial . Influenced by Marxism , he secretly joined the banned South African Communist Party (SACP). Although initially committed to non-violent protest, in association with the SACP he co-founded the militant uMkhonto we Sizwe in 1961 that led a sabotage campaign against the apartheid government. He was arrested and imprisoned in 1962, and, following
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