135-585: Lewis Nkosi (5 December 1936 – 5 September 2010) was a South African writer and journalist, who spent 30 years in exile as a consequence of restrictions placed on him and his writing by the Suppression of Communism Act and the Publications and Entertainment Act passed in the 1950s and 1960s. A multifaceted personality, he attempted multiple genre for his writing, including literary criticism, poetry, drama, novels, short stories, essays, as well as journalism. Nkosi
270-610: 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
405-536: 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
540-572: 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
675-582: 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
810-617: 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
945-524: 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
1080-789: A dialogue among all the races. After his schooling, Dumisani joins a tourist company as a guide. Dumisani's friend Sofa Sonke, driver of the tourist bus, brings every day a newspaper from Durban for him. After many attempts to win Nobuhle, Dumisani finally succeeds and gets accepted by her. She invites him to meet her on the river bank. On the same day, Dumisani receives the news of Mandela's arrest. The news shocks him and takes his nerve away. When Dumisani tries to unite with Nobuhle, his body fails. He tries again but his sexual energy deserts him. Nobuhle leaves in tears. Dumisani consults many witch doctors, tribal doctors and conventional doctors in hospitals. But nothing works to cure him. He leaves his home, wanders
1215-584: 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
1350-407: 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
1485-497: 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
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#17328843554931620-573: 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,
1755-762: A group of six white British, male a cappella singers. On the situation in South Africa during apartheid On black writers and their literature On his exile On the writers and commitment The first comprehensive and critical review on Nkosi appeared in 2006, edited by Professor Lindy Steibel and Professor Liz Gunner, entitled Still Beating the Drum: Critical Perspectives on Lewis Nkosi , published by Wits University Press. Nkosi's works are gaining recognition and being prescribed as university and college textbooks. Some of his works of criticism and essays have been accepted as standard reference texts in
1890-453: 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
2025-482: 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
2160-615: 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
2295-576: 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
2430-460: 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
2565-508: A posthumous honorary Doctor of Technology degree in Arts and Design in recognition of his significant contributions as a prolific and profound South African writer and essayist. The award was accepted by his widow, Professor Astrid Starck-Adler, at the graduation ceremony at the DUT Midlands Campus. She was also the guest speaker during the ceremony. South African people According to
2700-452: 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
2835-465: 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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#17328843554932970-579: A revolutionary, want to use the issue of white hostages for the release of their leader from prison, engage in talks with the Government and to observe a ceasefire. But contrary to the expectations of the Central Committee, Cornelius defies them and conducts attacks on the police stations and other locations. To escape police persecution, Cornelius leaves his hideout, and allows the white hostages to leave unharmed. The white hostages reach police and recognise Cornelius's photo and confirm his active presence in
3105-463: 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
3240-701: 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
3375-437: 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 ,
3510-662: 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
3645-539: A strategy. The Central Committee of the Organization advises Cornelius to go to a remote part of the country called Tabanyane and to participate in peasant uprisings. The Central Committee plans to make use of his absence from mainstream life into an act of abduction by the Government. At first he hesitates, but reluctantly agrees. After reaching Tabanyane, Cornelius organises the poor illiterate jobless country men into revolutionary men and leads them. In this task, he enlists
3780-444: 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
3915-658: A total of 101,317 cumulative deaths or a rate of 170.83 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 6 June 2022, 36.33% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.) South Africa hosts a sizeable refugee and asylum seeker population. According to the World Refugee Survey 2008 , published by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants , this population numbered approximately 144,700 in 2007. Groups of refugees and asylum seekers numbering over 10,000 included people from Zimbabwe (48,400),
4050-416: 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
4185-494: 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
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4320-516: 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
4455-622: Is spoken by fewer than 10,000 individuals country-wide. Congolese French is also spoken in South Africa by migrants. The primary sign language of deaf South Africans is South African Sign Language . Other sign languages among indigenous peoples are also used. In 2011, the first language was Zulu for 28.1% of Black South African residents, Xhosa for 19.8%, Sepedi for 11.2%, Tswana for 9.7%, Sesotho for 9.3%, Tsonga for 5.5%, siSwati for 3.1%, Venda for 2.9%, English for 2.8%, Southern Ndebele for 2.6%, Afrikaans for 1.5%, while 3.4% had another first language. Among whites, Afrikaans
4590-412: Is the story of Dumisani Gumede, a teenage boy who has come of age in a Zulu village and runs after every girl and woman to satiate his newly acquired power. His uncle Simon tells him many stories about Nelson Mandela and makes him a follower of the great leader. Uncle Simon's storytelling is invested with lies and half-truths. He also tells Dumisani that Mandela is a great pursuer of women. Taking cue from
4725-658: 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
4860-635: 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
4995-613: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (24,800), and Somalia (12,900). These populations mainly lived in Johannesburg , Pretoria , Durban , Cape Town , and Port Elizabeth . Many refugees have now also started to work and live in rural areas in provinces such as Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal . Statistics SA assumes in some of their calculations that there are fewer than 2 million immigrants in South Africa. Other institutions, like
5130-462: The Golden City Post , from 1956 to 1960. He contributed essays to many magazines and newspapers. His essays criticised apartheid and the racist state, as a result of which the South African government banned his works. Nkosi faced severe restrictions on his writing due to the publishing regulations found in the Suppression of Communism Act and the Publications and Entertainment Act passed in
5265-624: 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
5400-522: 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
5535-639: 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
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5670-535: 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
5805-479: 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
5940-550: The University of London (1974) and an MA from the University of Sussex (1977), he went on to become a Professor of English at the University of Wyoming (1991–91), as well as holding visiting teaching positions at universities in Zambia and in Warsaw , Poland . Lewis Nkosi returned to South Africa in 2001, after a gap of nearly four decades. His final years before his death in 2010 were passed in financial difficulties and ill health. He
6075-487: 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
6210-708: 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
6345-676: 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,
6480-405: 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
6615-417: The "real life" of Mandela, Dumisani goes unstopped in his conquests. In his village, every girl falls for his charms except Nobuhle, a beautiful orphaned girl. Dumisani's admiration for Mandela goes to the extent of starting a football club, with Dumisani as its chairman. He even goes to the city of Pietermartizburg to see Mandela, who comes there to address a convention demanding equal rights for all races and
6750-878: The "unofficial languages" of the San and Khoikhoi people contain regional dialects stretching northwards into Namibia and Botswana , and elsewhere. These people, who are a physically distinct population from other Africans, have their own cultural identity based on their hunter-gatherer societies. They have been marginalised to a great extent, and many of their languages are in danger of becoming extinct . Many white South Africans also speak other European languages , such as Portuguese (also spoken by black Angolans and Mozambicans ), German , Serbian and Greek , while some Indians and other Asians in South Africa speak South Asian languages , such as Bhojpuri , Tamil , Hindi , Gujarati , Urdu and Telugu . Although many South Africans are of Huguenot (French) origin, South African French
6885-500: The 1950s and 1960s. His works were banned under the Suppression of Communism Act, and he faced severe restrictions as a writer. At the same time, he became the first black South African journalist to win a Nieman Fellowship from Harvard University to pursue his studies. When he applied for permission to go to United States, Nkosi was granted a one-way exit permit to leave South Africa, thus being barred from returning. In 1961, accepting
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#17328843554937020-634: The 2022 census, the population of South Africa is about 62 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages , and religions . With a majority being Black Africans. The South African National Census of 2022 was the most recent census held; the next will be in 2032. In 2011, Statistics South Africa counted 2.1 million foreigners in total. Reports suggest that is an underestimation. The real figure may be as high as five million, including some three million Zimbabweans . The earliest creatures that can be identified as human ancestors in South Africa are australopithecines . The first evidence of this
7155-509: 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
7290-570: 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
7425-553: 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,
7560-586: 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
7695-541: 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
7830-629: The Johannesburg Wellness Clinic. survived by his partner, Astrid Starck-Adler, and his twin daughters, Joy and Louise. A memorial service for Nkosi was held on 8 September at the Museum Africa, Newtown Cultural Precinct, in Johannesburg, and his funeral took place in Durban on 10 September. Though Nkosi started his literary career in the 1960s, he entered the realm of fiction much later than his Drum colleagues. His first novel, Mating Birds ,
7965-737: 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
8100-605: 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
8235-692: 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
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#17328843554938370-714: The United Nations prepared the following estimates. (Natural increase or decrease over a time period is the difference between that period's live births and deaths, before accounting for inward or outward migration.) Racial composition of each age group in 2015 (estimates) Source: Fertility rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and CBR ( Crude Birth Rate ): Fertility rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) by ethnic group. Life expectancy at birth from 1950 to 2020 ( UN World Population Prospects ): Ethnic groups South Africa (1911) Racial groups South Africa (2022) Statistics South Africa asks people to describe themselves in
8505-555: The World Population Review in 2022. The following demographics are from the CIA World Factbook unless otherwise indicated. note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) is occurring throughout South Africa; as of 6 June 2022, South Africa has reported a total of 3,968,205 cases of COVID-19 or 6,690.7 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with
8640-816: 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
8775-678: The area of African literary criticism and literature. Research on Nkosi's work has also gained momentum across the Third World countries. He is a featured writer in the KZN Literary Tourism project. Writing Home: Lewis Nkosi on South African writing , a collection edited by Lindy Stiebel and Michael Chapman, was published in 2016, drawing on his collections Home and Exile (1965), The Transplanted Heart (1975) and Tasks and Masks (1981), and other writings from journals and magazines. In 2021, other texts and two plays by Nkosi were included in
8910-410: The beach and seeming interest dupes Sibiya into believing her. After several silent meetings on the beach, Sibiya follows her to her bungalow, finds her lonely and willing, and enters into sexual copulation. But they are discovered by neighbours, and the white girl accuses Sibiya of rape. A trial by white judges begins. In the court, the white girl, Veronica, denies any knowledge of Sibiya and reiterates
9045-474: 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
9180-454: The book Lewis Nkosi. The Black Psychiatrist | Flying Home! Texts, Perspectives, Homage , edited by Astrid Starck-Adler and Dag Henrichsen. In February 2011, wordsetc.co.za published a commemorative volume entitled The Beautiful Mind of Lewis Nkosi . On 13 June 2011, Nadine Gordimer participated in a colloquium to commemorate the life and works of Lewis Nkosi. On 12 April 2012, the Durban University of Technology (DUT) conferred on Nkosi
9315-616: 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
9450-481: The census in terms of five racial population groups. The 2011 census figures for these groups were African at 80.2%, White at 8.4%, Coloured at 8.8%, Indian / Asian at 2.5%, and Other/Unspecified at 0.5%. The white percentage of the population has sharply declined. The first census in South Africa in 1911 showed that whites made up 22% of the population. This declined to 16% in 1980, 8.9% in 2011 and 7.65% in 2022. Coloured South Africans replaced Whites as
9585-1142: The characters in Nkosi's story. He wrote critical essays on many issues, including politics, history, African affairs, American culture, and civilisation. No other critic touches upon such diversified themes. His critical works include Home and Exile (1965), The Transplanted Heart (1975), and Tasks and Masks: Themes and Styles of African Literature (1981). His essays and other works were published over four decades in America, England and Africa. Publications in which his writing appeared include Drum , Ilanga lase Natal , Golden City Post , Transition , The Guardian , The Africa Report , Afro-Asian Writings , Sechaba , New Society , The Spectator , New Statesman , The Observer , Negro Digest , Black Orpheus , Fighting Talk , Contact , The African Guardian , Southern African Review of Books , London Review of Books , Genèva-Afrique , The New African , and Harvard Crimson . As opposed to apartheid , Nkosi's work explores themes of politics, relationships, and sexuality. His works, possessing great depth, received less recognition than they had actually deserved. In
9720-520: The charge of rape against him. The court finds Sibiya guilty and sentences him to death. The novel generated a controversy and received critical attention, being awarded the Macmillan Silver Pen Prize in 1986. The New York Times declared the novel one of the best hundred books of 1986. Nkosi's second novel, Underground People , is a political thriller. In this novel, he moved away from the theme of inter-racial sexual relations and centred
9855-405: 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
9990-576: 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
10125-804: 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
10260-693: The country aimlessly for years. When he reaches middle age, one day he hears the news of Mandela's release from prison. He attends the first public address of Mandela after the release. He rejoices. In his joy, he huddles a woman next to him, and his lost sexual urge returns. His life is restored. Mandela's Ego was shortlisted for the 2007 Sunday Times Fiction Award. Nkosi's plays include The Black Psychiatrist and some drama for radio. Nkosi's few poems include "To Herbert Dhlomo " in Ilanga lase Natal (22 October 1955). Ntongela Masilela notes that, despite Nkosi's early promise, "in his whole life he wrote seven poems,
10395-908: The country, with the number of black Muslims growing sixfold, from 12,000 in 1991 to 74,700 in 2004. The Hindu population has its roots in the British colonial period , but later waves of immigration from India have also contributed to it. Most Hindus are of South Asian origin, but there are many who come from mixed racial stock. Some are converts due to the efforts of ISKCON . Other minority religions in South Africa are Sikhism , Jainism , Baháʼí Faith and Judaism . 86.0% of black residents are Christian, 3.0% have no religion , 0.3% are Muslim, 0.0% are Jewish , 0.0% are Hindu , 9.5% Traditional African and 1.2% have other or undetermined beliefs (2022 Census). 90.1% of white residents are Christian, 4.9% have no religion, 0.3% are Muslim, 0.7% are Jewish, and 0.1% are Hindu. 3.9% have other or undetermined beliefs (2022 Census). Demographic statistics according to
10530-401: The fight. Naturally, police suspect the intentions of Anthony Ferguson and ask him to go to Tabanyane, to convince Cornelius to surrender. He takes the help of a member of the Central Committee and reaches Tabanyane. However, Cornelius refuses to surrender and ditch the people for whom he had been fighting. Eventually, the police shoot, and he dies. Nkosi's third novel, Mandela's Ego (2006),
10665-670: 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
10800-406: 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
10935-461: 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
11070-550: 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
11205-824: The languages are formally equal, some languages are spoken more than others. According to the 2022 census , the three most spoken languages in the household are Zulu (24.4%), Xhosa (16.3%), and Afrikaans (10.6%). Between 1996 and 2022, the proportion of Afrikaans speakers declined from 14.5% to 10.6% and English held steady at 8.7%, whle isiZulu grew from 22.8% to 24.4%, and Xhosa declined from 17.9% to 16.3% The country also recognises several unofficial languages, including Sekholokoe , Fanagalo , Khwe , Lobedu , Nama , Northern Ndebele , Phuthi and San . These unofficial languages may be used in certain official uses in limited areas where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent. Nevertheless, their populations are not such that they require nationwide recognition. Many of
11340-404: The largest minority group around 2010. South Africa has twelve official languages : isiZulu 24.4%, isiXhosa 16.3%, Afrikaans 10.6%, English 8.7%, Sepedi 10.0%, Setswana 8.3%, Sesotho 7.8%, Xitsonga 4.7%, siSwati 2.8%, Tshivenda 2.5%, isiNdebele 1.7% and South African Sign Language . In this regard, it is third only to Bolivia and India in number. While all
11475-656: The last one written in Lusaka in the early 1980s where he was then living and published at that time in Sechaba , the political and cultural review of the African National Congress ." Nkosi wrote a good number of short stories. His story of police violence and popular resistance in a black township, "Under the Shadow of the Guns", appeared in the 1990 anthology Colours of a New Day , the book taking its title from an optimistic phrase used by one of
11610-457: 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
11745-436: The matter to international organisations including the United Nations and Human Rights International. The latter sends its official Anthony Ferguson, who was born in South Africa and immigrated to England, to investigate the matter. Anthony's sister and mother are still living in South Africa. After some rest he undertakes to search for Cornelius unsuccessfully. The Central Committee members, plagued by jealousy of his success as
11880-598: 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
12015-446: 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
12150-546: The national population of the country during that period will be inaccurate. Source: The People of South Africa: Population Census, 1996 Source: Statistics South Africa: Census 2001 Source: Census 2011: Census in Brief Source: Census 2022 Statistical Release According to the 2019 revision of the United Nations Secretariat 's World Population Prospects , South Africa's total population
12285-494: 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
12420-415: The other side of the fence (on the white side of the beach). They silently exchange looks and enter into a muted affair. They were well aware that race laws in South Africa would sentence them to imprisonment if caught. The white girl intentionally allows her naked body to be seen by Sibiya. He takes the entire episode as a love affair between the white girl and himself. The girl with her regular appearances on
12555-587: 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
12690-751: 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
12825-691: The police and Médecins Sans Frontières place estimate the figure at 4 million. Main countries of immigration in South Africa according to the 2011 Census and 2022 Census: Immigration assumptions by Statistics South Africa to South Africa based on race. Negative numbers represent net migration from South Africa to other countries. "Urban areas contain about two-thirds of the population; many of these consist of huge informal or squatter settlements ." 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)
12960-455: The population. Muslims accounted for 1.5% of the population, Other 2.3%, and 1.4% were Unspecified and None 15.1%. Muslims are largely found among the Coloured and Indian ethnic groups. They have been joined by black or white South African converts as well as immigrants from other parts of Africa. South African Muslims claim that their faith is the fastest-growing religion of conversion in
13095-407: The post-apartheid era, his works are gaining critical attention across the third world. Nkosi joined forces with African powerhouse authors Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka in an interview in the third chapter of Bernth Lindfors' Conversations With Chinua Achebe . In 1978, Nkosi and composer Stanley Glasser wrote a collection of six Zulu -style songs called Lalela Zulu for The King's Singers ,
13230-545: 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
13365-482: 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
13500-555: 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
13635-596: 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
13770-456: 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
13905-529: 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
14040-542: The scholarship to study at Harvard (1961–1962), he began a 30-year exile. In 1962, he attended the African Writers Conference at Makerere University , along with the likes of Chinua Achebe , Wole Soyinka , Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Ezekiel Mphahlele . Moving to London , Nkosi obtained work with the BBC and between 1962 and 1965 produced the radio programme Africa Abroad , also interviewing major African writers for
14175-547: 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
14310-414: 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
14445-476: The story on the armed struggle in South Africa. Cornelius Molapo is a language teacher and a member of the National Liberation Movement, an organisation waging armed war against the racist white minority government. He is a poet, a great orator, hungry reader of many books, and even plays cricket. He often criticises the policy of the Central Committee and irks its members. To counter him, they draw
14580-438: 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
14715-642: 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
14850-445: The support of Princess Madi, who is a daughter of the deposed chief of Tabanyane. During the clandestine operations, he takes two white hostages into his custody. However, he is unwilling to execute the unarmed civilians. Meanwhile, the Central Committee starts a big propaganda about the disappearance of Cornelius from duties. They blame it on the South African police, who deny any knowledge of him. The National Liberation Movement brings
14985-496: 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
15120-459: The television series African Writers of Today on NET , and serving as literary editor for The New African magazine (1965–1968). He appeared in Three Swings on a Pendulum , a programme about " Swinging London " in 1967, which can be viewed on BBC iplayer. In 1970, he was visiting Regents professor at the University of California-Irvine , and having earned a BA degree in English literature from
15255-469: 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,
15390-456: 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
15525-416: Was 55,386,000 in 2015, compared to only 13,628,000 in 1950. In 2015, 29.3% of the people were children under the age of 15, 65.7% were between 15 and 64 years of age, and 5.0% were 65 or older. All population estimates are rounded to the nearest thousand. The following statistics are obtained from the mid-year population estimates published by Statistics South Africa : The Population Department of
15660-590: 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
15795-459: 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
15930-399: 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
16065-528: Was a child's skull found in the Taung quarry site. This was in the modern day North-West province . More fossils australopithecines were found in limestone caves Sterkfontein , Swartkrans , and Kromdaai . South African population figures for the 1904 Census. Sources: Statesman's Year-Book 1967–1968; Europa Year Book 1969 Bantustan demographics were removed from South African census data during Apartheid and for this reason official figures on
16200-422: 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
16335-440: Was apparently injured in a car crash in 2009 and spent his time on the bed, slowly recuperating from the wounds; however, a recovery never really happened and he drifted towards death. Despite Nkosi being considered an African literary legend, none of his efforts in literature gave him any economic relief and his friends and fans gathered a charity fund to pay his last medical bills. Nkosi died aged 73 on Sunday, 5 September 2010, at
16470-520: 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
16605-467: 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
16740-725: 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,
16875-788: 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
17010-552: Was born in a traditional Zulu family in a place called Embo in KwaZulu-Natal , South Africa. He attended local schools, before enrolling at M. L. Sultan Technical College in Durban . Nkosi in his early twenties began working as a journalist, first in Durban, joining the weekly publication Ilanga lase Natal ("Natal sun") in 1955, and then in Johannesburg for Drum magazine and as chief reporter for Drum ' s Sunday newspaper,
17145-440: 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
17280-463: 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 ,
17415-526: 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
17550-399: Was published in 1986. His next novel, Underground People , came out in 2002 and his third novel, Mandela's Ego , in 2006. Mating Birds is the narration of an educated South African black native called Ndi Sibiya. He narrates the story from prison, awaiting a death sentence. As a jobless youth Sibiya wanders the city of Durban and reaches the segregated beach. There he finds a white girl on
17685-440: 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
17820-410: 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
17955-525: Was the first language for 59.1% of the population, compared to 35.0% for English. Other languages accounted for the remaining 5.9%. Religion in South Africa (2022 census) According to the 2022 national census, Christians accounted for 85.3% of the population. This includes Protestant (36.6%), Zionist Christian (11.1%), Pentecostal / Charismatic (8.2%), Roman Catholic (7.1%), Methodist (6.8%), Dutch Reformed (6.7%), Anglican (3.8%); members of other Christian churches accounted for another 36% of
18090-497: 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
18225-410: 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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