Johannesburg: Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid
leader who became South Africa's first black president, was regarded as
one of the great figures of the past century for his generosity of
spirit, sacrifices in the name of equality and his efforts to reconcile
the races in South Africa amid the ever-present spectre of conflict.
Here are a few momentous occasions in the life of Mandela, told partly through his own words:
April 20, 1964:
Charged with sabotage, Mandela delivered a statement during his trial
in Pretoria that revealed the depth of his resolve in the fight against
apartheid and his willingness to lay down his life in an effort to end
white racist rule.
"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to
this struggle of the African people," Mandela said. "I have fought
against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I
have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all
persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an
ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an
ideal for which I am prepared to die."
Two months later, he and seven other defendants were sentenced to life in prison.
Feb. 11, 1990:
Mandela walked out of South Africa's Victor Verster prison near Cape
Town after 27 years in captivity, holding hands with his wife, Winnie.
He held up his fist and smiled broadly. Mandela's release after so long
was almost inconceivable for deliriously happy supporters who erupted in
cheers as hundreds of journalists pressed forward. The world watched
the electrifying occasion live on television. Because of Mandela's
decades-long confinement, few people knew what he looked like or had
seen a recent photograph. Mandela said he was astounded by the
reception.
"When I was among the crowd I raised my right fist,
and there was a roar. I had not been able to do that for twenty-seven
years and it gave me a surge of strength and joy," Mandela wrote.
He
also recalled: "As I finally walked through those gates to enter a car
on the other side, I felt - even at the age of seventy-one - that my
life was beginning anew."
May 10, 1994: Nelson Mandela
became the first black president of South Africa after democratic
elections, taking the oath of office at the Union Buildings in Pretoria,
the South African capital. Leaders and other dignitaries from around
the world attended the historic occasion, which offered many South
Africans another chance to celebrate in the streets.
At the close of his inauguration speech, Mandela said:
"Never,
never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again
experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of
being the skunk of the world," he said. "Let freedom reign. The sun
shall never set on so glorious a human achievement! God bless Africa!
Thank you."
June 24, 1995: Mandela strode onto the field
at the Rugby World Cup final in Johannesburg, wearing South African
colours and bringing the overwhelmingly white crowd of more than 60,000
to its feet. They chanted "Nelson! Nelson! Nelson!" as the president
congratulated the victorious home team in a moment that symbolized
racial reconciliation.
Mandela's decision to wear the Springbok
emblem, the symbol once hated by blacks, conveyed the message that
rugby, for so long shunned by the black population, was now for all
South Africans.
The moment was portrayed in "Invictus," a
Hollywood movie directed by Clint Eastwood. The film tells the story of
South Africa's transformation under Mandela's leadership through the
prism of sport.
July 11, 2010: A smiling Mandela waved to
the crowd at the Soccer City stadium at the closing ceremony of the
World Cup, whose staging in South Africa allowed the country, and the
continent, to shine on one of the world's biggest stages. Mandela
appeared frail as he was driven in a golf cart alongside his wife, Graca
Machel.
Mandela had kept a low profile during the month-long
tournament, deciding against attending the opener on June 11 after the
death of his great-grand daughter in a traffic accident following a
World Cup concert.
The former president did not address the crowd on that emotional day in the stadium. It was his last public appearance.
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