In the struggle against the White minority government and it's systematic oppression of the black

majority population of South Africa through the apartheid, Nelson Mandela became an enigma
sustained by his natural willingness to defend the wrongfully or unjustly accused. This was reinforced
by his legal practice after he obtained his qualification as a lawyer from Fort-Hill University, Transkei
Province. Mandela, a former boxer, found himself to be most prepared to be a leading figure in the
initial dialogue challenging his rulers against racial discrimination and the final dialogue that led to
peace between his oppressors and his people.
After the departure of the British colonial masters, in 1948 shortly after the state of Israel was formed.
The British handed over to then White Afrikaners of former Dutch, German or Huguenot decent who
migrated to South Africa in the late 1600s as farmers just before the British empire came to take
control. The Afrikaners had developed a natural appetite to maintain a stronghold of South Africa like
its colonial masters which they sort to do through a series of new government policies and laws that
was discriminatory towards the blacks. These included Educational and Employment opportunities
made available to blacks, social segregation, political exclusion, commute and travel restrictions and
eventual unfairness in the justice system.
The period of the struggle against apartheid was influenced by the highly sensational civil rights
activists such as Martin Luther king jr who had challenged the United States Government through enmass peaceful protests to grant political rights to blacks and eradicate social segregation. Furthermore,
the fight against apartheid was psychologically reinforced by the fight through arms struggle against
the Isreal by the Palestinians leading to the formation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
with its committee chaired by Ahmad Shukeiri in 1964s. Castros efforts during the Cuban revolution
inspired Mandelas political movement in South Africa.
In an address made by the then prime minister of South Africa Hendrik Verwoerd in 1961 who was
noted as the originator of the apartheid movement compared South Africa apartheid regime to be just
over the black like that of Israel over Palestinian. Mandela, who had just warn a defense case for one
of his clients against unjust charges. He then became a voice for his people and the newly formed
African National Congress (ANC) against the apartheid laws putting him at odds with the constitution.

Eventually, the uncontrolled oppressive and racist tone of the South African government coupled with
the increased brutality against blacks made Mandela give way to the ANC preference for retaliation
with an arms struggle as opposed to through peaceful means. He together with his then associates in
the ANC where captured and arrested by the apartheid regime and were convicted of trying to
overthrow the apartheid regime,and he was sentenced to life imprisonment with labor during the
popular Rivonia Trial in 1962.
Shortly after his conviction at the courts, his second wife Winnie Mandela decided to get fully involved
in her husbands quest for social justice by directly taking over the many activities of her imprisoned
husband. Winnie Mandela became the symbol of the apartheid struggles in the absence of her
husband ,and was able to mobilize the necessary activities needed to garner enough support and
sympathy amongst the international community. Winnie's quest for the freedom of her husband and
people,was however characterised by many high and low moments that almost derailed his many
struggles for his people, like her alleged accusations of using draconian measures to rid his many aides
of being apartheid police informants and traitors,and the many allegations of marital infidelities by her
associates.
As Winnie grew more popular and influential, she became the main target of police arrest and constant
torment that sometimes led to long periods of political incarcerations and brutal torture. She was
however able to survive the many battles from within her organisation and beyond,thereby becoming
the most revered symbol of their struggle. However, this became dimished with the conclusion of an
investigation by the BBC Radio's File on Four people into the affairs of a football club she founded.
Winnie had founded the club in 1986, ostensibly to empower unemployed young men, but was
considered as many as her tool for a thuggish and mafia like activities. The alleged atrocities of the club
included destruction homes, property, injury and murder of suspected informants of the apartheid
police.
According to court records Mrs Mandela had totally embraced violence as a means of empowering her
followers with her club orchestrating some 12 murders. At this stage the name Mandela which had
been so respected by many was becoming to often associated with brutal acts that was beginning to
send a different message to people about the man.

As the clamor for freedom of Mandela intensified,the international community started paying more
attention to the struggles of the peoples of south Africa, thereby incurring the public statements from
leaders of the diplomatic communities and world notable human rights figures such as Quarmey
Nkrumah, Fidel Castro and even members of the former soviet republic. On two occasions, Fidel
Castro led Cuba to fight against the spread of apartheid as Cuba sent troops to defeat multiple invasions
in Angola by South Africas apartheid regime during the mid-1970s and late 1980s.
In 1986, the U.S. Congress passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act CAAA into law as an antiapartheid legislation. The act banned all new U.S. companies or organization to trade or invest in
South Africa. This was backed with similar sanctions in by the Europe states and Japan. Specifically,
the anti-apartheid legislation under section 109 of Policy of the United state with respect to ending
Apartheid stated United States Ambassador to meet with Nelson Mandela putting Nelson Mandela at
forefront of all negotiations that will be termed credible by the western powers.

In a national address, President Ronald Reagan listed the conditions for lifting against the apartheid
government., which included release of Nelson Mandela and all other political prisoners and that black
political movements should be unbanned with dialogue and negotiations for a multiracial political
system. On 14 August, P.W. Botha resigned as leader of the ruling National Party due to a stroke and
Frederik Willem de Klerk was named acting state president until he was elected to as state president.
Shortly after assuming the party leadership, he advocated for a non-racist South Africa and for
negotiations with the majority black about the country's future.
In February 1990, he freed Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners and annulled the political bans
on the African National Congress and the Communist Party of South Africa. De Klerk enabled the
eventual end of apartheid and initiated negotiations of the government with the apartheid opposition for
a new constitution. There was escalating civil strife and ongoing violence just days to the election and
Mandela was able to re-assure the whites of a peaceful transition.

At the time the struggle against white oppression had being archived but their was now looming

oppression of whites by black. Nelson Mandela had to now convince his people not to thread on the
part of the former apartheid ways and persuade them to forgive them. Mandela joined negotiations
with President F. W. de Klerk to establish multiracial elections in 1994 in which he was the
presidential candidate for the ANC and became South Africa's first black president after winning the
general elections.
Winnie was Nelson Mandela's third-eye while he was incarcerated. Nelson remained focused on the
future of a racially tolerant South Africa. The stories of Winnie's atrocities where so confound however,
Nelson Mandela didnt believe them initally. During Winnie's trial he initially stood by her, her dark
nature was later revealed to him by the judge's verdict in May 1991 that she was guilty of kidnapping
and assaulting four people He later annulled their marriage after he discovered she maintained an affair
with Dali Mpofu, a lawyer almost half her age.

As president, Nelson Mandela enjoyed a flourishing economy with steady growth and admiration for
South Africa as a country with renewed aspiration for equality for all races and global symbol for the
power of tolerance and forgiveness. He gained international reputation for his anti-apartheid activism,
and was awarded numerous honors, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. He his regarded as the
father of modern day South Africa with his picture featured on most South African current notes.
Today, South Africa is a vibrant economy, a global competitor at all fronts in industries, agriculture,
manufacturing, and tourism. However, there is still a big gap between the poor and the rich with rich
mostly whites. The economic imbalance between the races often leads to tensions in the country that
has erupted into two xenophobia attacks on other non-white minorities immigrants. The political
leaders of South Africa continue to draw on the teachings of Nelson Mandela to squeal any potential
racial unrest.