Nelson Mandela is a worthy person of this essay not only because he eliminated apartheid but because he suffered so hard to get to the point of which he could eliminate it. On Nelson’s journey to eliminate apartheid and became president he had to go through 27 years in the Robben Island Prison.
The Robben Island Prison has some of the harshest conditions in the world. Each and every day of those 27 years he had to break rocks in the hot sun. While he was at Robben Island he was great at secretly passing around notes for people and he never was caught.
In 1990 Nelson was released from Robben Island because President Frederik de Klerk decided to lift the ban of A.N.C (African National Rights) and ordered for Nelson to be released.
After 4 years of being free from prison Nelson became the first ever black South African President. Nelson continued to be President until 1999 when he retired and Thabo Mbeki was elected as president.
In the way of life Nelson had had three wives. In 1944 he married Evelyn Mase but they split up in 1958 because Evelyn was very stressed about Nelson’s devotion to the anti-apartheid cause. Later in the year 1958 he married Winnie Madikizela he was married to her the time while he was in prison and they then divorced in 1996, 6 years after he was released from prison. Then two years after the divorce he married Graça Machel. They were married until Nelson’s death. Caused by a Respiratory Infection at the age of 95! While he was married to these ladies he had had four daughters and two sons.
Makaziwe, Nelson’s oldest daughter/child is still living and now has four children of her own and is married to Isaac Kwame - Amuah. She was named after her sister (Makaziwe) because she died at the age of nine months. Zenani is Nelson’s second daughter/child and married Thumbumuzi Dlamini when she was 14. Makgatho was Nelson’s first son and third child and was widowed with four sons when his second wife Zondi died in 2003. He later died in 2005 because of AIDS. Zindziswa was his fourth daughter/child. She has written a hit book called “Black as I am”. His youngest child is his second son called Madiba Thembekile. He died in a car crash in 1969.
In the end Nelson had a wonderful life and has inspired many over the years. He has connected the black and white in South Africa and has helped many have a better life in this world. Even though he is not with us today he is still inspiring us inside of our hearts.
By Ruby Hughan
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