Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, (born July 18, 1918), was the first democratically elected President of South Africa, having previously been a prominent anti-apartheid activist there. Initially committed to non-violence, he later became involved in the planning of underground armed resistance activities, such as sabotage. Mandela's 27-year imprisonment, much of which he spent in a tiny prison cell on Robben Island, became one of the most widely publicised examples of apartheid's injustices. Upon his release in 1990, the policy of reconciliation he pursued enabled a peaceful transition to a new, democratic South Africa - an enormous achievement which many South Africans believe would have been impossible without his influence.

Marriages

Mandela has been married three times. His first marriage was to Evelyn Ntoko Mase, who was also from what later became the Transkei area of South Africa, like Mandela, although they met in Johannesburg. That marriage produced three children, but broke up in 1957 after 13 years, divorcing under the multiple strains of his constant absences, devotion to revolutionary agitation, and her reliance on the Jehovah's Witnesses movement, which became increasingly hostile to political struggle.

Related Topics:
Evelyn Ntoko Mase - Transkei - 1957 - Jehovah's Witnesses

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mandela's second wife, Winnie Madikizela, also came from the Transkei area, although they too met in Johannesburg, where she was the city's first black social worker. Later, Winnie would be deeply torn by family discord which mirrored the country's political strife: while her husband was serving a life sentence on the Robben Island prison for terrorism and treason, her father became the agriculture minister in the Transkei. The marriage ended in separation (April 1992) and divorce (March 1996), fueled by political estrangement.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On his 80th birthday, he married Graça Machel, widow of Samora Machel, the former Mozambican president and ANC ally killed in an air crash 12 years earlier.

Related Topics:
Graça Machel - Samora Machel

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~