Mandela, hailed as one of the greatest activists of our time, was born on the 18th of July 1918. He was originally named Rolihlahla; a term which in Xhosa – amusingly and, arguably, fittingly – means troublemaker. Born in South Africa’s tempestuous Cape Province his mother Nosekeni Fanny was the third wife Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa. Interestingly, Mandela was assigned the Anglophone name Nelson by his teacher on his first day of school. Mandela’s father died of a lung infection when he was only 9 years old, when he was placed under the guardianship of the acting chief of the Thembu tribe.



Mandela grew up an academic and sportsman. While studying for his BA at Fort Hare University, though, the future politician began to live up to his ‘troublemaker’ name when he was suspended from the university for getting involved in a boycott against certain university policies. During this time, Mandela was developing an interest in black rights and had connections with the anti-imperialist movement in South Africa – an interest which would determine not only his future but the future of millions of South Africans. A few years later, having run away from his home in objection to an arranged marriage, Mandela began his studies in law at the University of Witwatersrand where he was reportedly the only African American student in a community plagued by endemic racism. He became a member of the African National Congress in the early ’40s and, in arguably the first significant political move in his long career, founded the Youth league of the ANC. The apartheid policy in South Africa was fully implemented in 1948, and in 1952 Mandela and his friend and colleague Oliver Tambo opened the first black legal firm in South Africa; they were deeply involved in the ANC defiance campaign and offered cheap legal service to the black community.

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READ MORE:http://afroprofile.com/blog/2013/12/19/5-most-influential-moments-of-mandela/

He live still as a great man