Nelson Mandela — History Channel
Nelson Mandela
South Africa’s global icon, Nelson Mandela would have turned 100 this year. It would also be 28 years since his release from prison. The first black president of South Africa spent 27 years in prison for attempting to overthrow the apartheid regime. After leaving prison, Mandela worked hard to ensure that human rights were respected and South Africans had a better future.
South Africa and the world at large have since launched a centenary celebration to mark 28 years since Mandela was released from the Victor Verster prison on February 11, 1990. The launch was held at the Nelson Mandela Museum earlier this month. Mandela was arrested in 1962 for conspiring to overthrow the state and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial. He served 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison.
He was released in 1990 following the relaxation of apartheid laws, including the unbanning of liberation organisations like the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and the African National Congress by the then South African President FW de Klerk.
Watch out for our next feature which will delve into African superheroines.
