Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela born 18 July 1918 and died 5 December 2013 was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
He was the first black South African to hold the office, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation.
Born to the Thembu royal family, Mandela attended the Fort Hare University and the University of Witwatersrand, where he studied law.
In 1962 he was arrested, convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the state, and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial.
Mandela served over 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release. He was released in 1990, during a time of escalating civil strife.
Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Denounced as a Marxist terrorist by critics.
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