NELSON Mandela was a globally hailed hero who fought for freedom and the end of the apartheid struggle.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner is one of the most respected statesmen in history after spending 26 years in jail leading a peaceful revolution to lay the foundations of a liberated South Africa.
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Why was Nelson Mandela in prison?
Nelson Mandela was arrested and charged with treason in 1956.
Born on July 18, 1918, he studied law and worked as a lawyer in Johannesburg.
He became involved in politics and joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944.
He helped form the ANC Youth League (ANCYL).
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The South African white-only government introduced apartheid in 1948.
This resulted in racial segregation.
Mandela and the ANC challenged the apartheid state.
When protest was met with brute force, they launched an armed struggle with Mandela at its head.
After his arrest in 1956, the trial lasted five years, with Mandela acquitted.
But by now the ANC had been banned and so Mandela embarked on a secret trip to ask for help from other African nations emerging from colonial rule.
In 1962 he was arrested and sentenced to five years in jail.
Further charges, of sabotage, led to a life sentence that would see him spend 27 years behind bars.
After the sentencing, there were pro-Mandela demonstrations in Britain as well as a world petition calling for his release, which was handed to the United Nations Secretary General.
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When was Mandela released?
It was a day which shook the world – Sunday, February 11, 1990.
Mandela was released unconditionally from prison after 27 years.
He walked free with his then-wife Winnie and was driven the 40 miles to Cape Town by ANC’s Rose Sonto.
Along the route were thousands of supporters.
He then appeared before 50,000 people on the balcony of City Hall and thanked the “millions of my compatriots and those in every corner of the globe who have campaigned tirelessly for my release”.
Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and won a landslide election in 1994 in South Africa’s first multi-racial vote.
I’m going to call you Nelson
Mandela’s white school teacher
As the first black president of South Africa, his five-years in power saw him dismantle the legacy of apartheid and build a new international reputation for his country.
He tackled institutional racism, poverty and inequality, and then, as promised, stood down after one term in office.
He died on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95.
In 2023, a new BBC documentary A Life in Ten Pictures paid tribute to the civil rights fighter, the BBC’s made an episode about his life through the years.
Both famous and private snaps from early to late adulthood were discussed.
On showed him aged around 20.
CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO
His daughter Maki Mandela said: “This is when he was very very young, looking very handsome.
“He’s wearing the first suit bought for him for when he went to Fort Hare, the first university for black people in Southern Africa.
“My dad was a mama’s boy, he loved his mama, he had set up his goal, ‘I will study at university and take care of my family’.”
His granddaughter, Tukwini, then shared that Mandela’s real name at birth was Rolihlahla, which means “one who is brave enough to challenge the status quo”.
But, when a white teacher at school couldn’t pronounce it, she told him: “I’m going to call you Nelson.”
Another photo revealed Mandela at the wedding of Walter and Albertina Sisulu in Johannesburg, 1994.
Walter was another anti-apartheid activist and a member of the ANC.
Mandela and Sisulu were both in prison at the same time.
The third picture was taken in 1952 when the future president was working as a lawyer at the only black legal firm of attorneys in the whole of South Africa at that time.
Another iconic photo showed Mandela burning his pass in 1960.
BREAKING ROCKS
Passes had been used as a way to control African men above the age of 16, from where they worked to lived.
If they were stopped by officers and were not carrying the document, they would be jailed.
ANC’s Mac Maharaj said: “It was saying, away with this whole apartheid system.”
A 1964 snap of Mandela was taken in prison which showed him talking to Sisulu.
It was a set-up shot taken for the media to show how inmates were supposedly being treated well, when in fact they were forced to break slabs of blue granite with a four-pound hammer.
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How long did Mandela spend in jail before he was released?
Despite a world movement demanding his freedom, Mandela ended up serving 27 years in prison right up until apartheid ended.
He was sentenced to life on June 12, 1964, and released on February 11, 1990.
Mandela was jailed initially on Robben Island, a former leper colony, for 18 years.
In 1982 he was moved to Pollsmoor Prison outside Cape Town and later served time at the Victor Verster Prison.
In 1980 the long exiled Oliver Tambo introduced a “Free Nelson Mandela” campaign.
British ska band The Specials released single Free Nelson Mandela in 1984 where it reached No9 in the charts.
On June 11, 1988, a concert was held at Wembley featuring George Michael, Bee Gees and Sting marking Mandela’s 70th birthday.
