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Nelson (Madiba) Mandela
Former President of South Africa
South Africa, Johannesburg, Government & Public Administration, The Presidency (past & future)
Nelson (Madiba) Rolihlahla Mandela
Birth Details:
Date of Birth: 18-07-1918 Place of Birth: Mvezo, Umtata, Eastern Cape
Country of Birth: South Africa Nationality: South African
Current Position
President, Nelson Mandela's Children Foundation (2010 - present)
President, Nelson Mandela Foundation (2010 - present)
Co-founder & Member, The Elders (2007 - present)
In Brief
Nelson Mandela is a qualified lawyer. He was the first South African president of a more democratic South Africa, elected in 1994 and serving until 1999. Prior to becoming president, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1952 Mandela and Oliver Tambo had opened the first black legal firm in the country, and Mandela was both Transvaal president of the ANC and deputy national president. Mandela served 27 years in prison, some of which were on Robben Island. He was released from prison on 11 February 1990. Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades, most notably the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. His birthday 18 July has been named Mandela Day in his honour. UN observed the first ever annual 'Nelson Mandela Day' on Sunday, Jul 18 2010.
- Professional
- Personal
- Noteworthy
- In The News
Current Position(s)
- President - Nelson Mandela's Children Foundation, South Africa
- (2010 - present)
- President - Nelson Mandela Foundation, South Africa
- (2010 - present)
- Co-founder & Member - The Elders, South Africa
- (2007 - present)
Previous Position(s)
- State President - Republic of South Africa
- (1994 - 1999)
- First Commander-in-Chief - Umkhonto we Sizwe
- (1961 - 1962)
- Partner - Legal Practice (with Oliver Tambo - first black legal partnership in SA)
- (1952 - 1961)
- National Volunteer-in-Chief - Defiance Campaign, ANC Youth League
- (1952 - 1952)
- Lawyer - Tambo & Mandela Attorneys
- (1952 - 1956)
- Attorney - Terblanche and Briggish
- (1951 - 1952)
- National Secretary - ANC Youth League
- (1948 - 1952)
- Articled Clerk - Witkin, Sidelsky and Eidelman
- (1941 - 1951)
Higher Education
- Honorary degree - Michigan State University
- LLD Honoris Causa (2008)
- Honorary degree - Open University, United Kingdom
- Honorary Doctorate (2004)
- Honorary degree - Britains' Open University
- Honorary Doctorate (2004)
- Honorary degree - Rhodes University, Grahamstown
- Honorary Doctor of Laws (2002)
- Honorary degree - University of the Witwatersrand
- Honorary Doctorate (1991)
- Honorary degree - York University, Toronto, Canada
- Honorary Doctor of Laws (1989)
- Honorary degree - University of Bologna
- Honorary Degree in Political Science (1988)
- Honorary degree - University of Carabobo, Venezuela
- Honorary Doctorate (1988)
- Honorary degree - Karl Marx University of the German Democratic Republic
- Honorary Doctorate (1987)
- Honorary degree - United States Ross University Medical School in the Caribbean
- Honorary Degree (1987)
- Honorary degree - University of Havana, Cuba
- Honorary degree (1986)
- Honorary degree - University of Michigan, USA
- Honorary Degree (1986)
- Honorary degree - University of Zimbabwe
- Honorary Doctor of Laws (1986)
- Honorary degree - Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria
- Honorary Doctor of Laws (1985)
- Honorary degree - Free University of Brussels
- Honorary Bachelor of Laws (1984)
- Honorary degree - University of Lancaster, Britain
- Honorary Doctor of Laws (1983)
- Honorary degree - University of Lesotho
- Honorary Doctor of Laws (1979)
- Honorary degree - University of Oxford
- Honorary Doctorate
- Honorary degree - University of Cambridge
- Honorary Doctorate
- Qualification -
- Attorney's Admission (1952)
- Degree - University of the Witwatersrand
- Bachelor of Law
- Degree - University of South Africa
- Bachelor of Arts (1942)
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