An Icon turned 94 yesterday

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ,(born 18 July 1918) often known as Madiba,is a South African politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first ever to be elected in a fully representative democratic election.  Before being elected President, Mandela was a militant anti-apartheid activist, and the leader and co-founder of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1962 he was arrested and convicted of sabotage and other charges, and  though false, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Mandela went on to serve 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island.
Strength, ability, zeal and knowledge of the truth was not buried but awaited the time the world would listen to him. While in jail, his reputation grew and he became widely known as the most significant black leaders in South Africa. Most of Mandela’s approaches to apartheid activities was as a result of   Mahatma Gandhi’s Influence upon his life.
Throughout Mandela’s imprisonment, local and international pressure mounted on the South African government to release him, under the resounding slogan Free Nelson Mandela! In 1989, South Africa reached a crossroads when Botha, its president suffered a stroke and was replaced as president by Frederik Willem de Klerk. De Klerk announced Mandela’s release in February 1990.
Mandela was visited several times by delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross, while at Robben Island and later at Pollsmoor prison. Mandela had this to say about the visits: “to me personally, and those who shared the experience of being political prisoners, the Red Cross was a beacon of humanity within the dark inhumane world of political imprisonment.
Since Imprisonment, Mandela has achieved so much more.
He is a true living legacy for this day.