Nelson Mandela

prepaidafrica:

1. Nelson Mandela in 1952 at the law office he opened with his colleague, Oliver Tambo. This was the first black legal practice in South Africa. Both were founding members of the ANC Youth League. (Jurgen Schadenberg, AP)

2. Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela on their wedding day in 1958. They had two daughters, Zenani and Zindzi, and divorced in 1996. (AFP)

3. Mandela leaves court at the end of a day’s proceedings in 1958 during the first treason trial. He and all the other defendants were acquitted in 1961. He was re-arrested in 1963 and was tried in what was known as the Rivonia Trial. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on June 12 1964. (Jurgen Schadenberg, AP)

4. Nelson Mandela is led by his then wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who gives a black power salute, after his release from Victor Verster prison in Cape Town on February 11 1990 – udoubtedly one of the most memorable moments in South Africa’s transition to democracy. He served over 27 years in jail, mostly on Robben Island. (Greg English, AP)

5. Former president Frederik Willem de Klerk and Mandela address the media prior to talks between the ANC and the South African government in Cape Town, May 2 1990. (Denis Farrel, AP)

6. Mandela and FW de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on December 10 1993, “for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa”. (Reuters)

7. Mandela takes the oath of office in Pretoria on May 10 1994 to become South Africa’s first democratically elected president. The event was attended by many heads of state and thousands of supporters. (David Brauchli, AP)

8. Mandela wears a Springbok jersey as he shakes hands with Springbok captain Francois Pienaar after South Africa defeated New Zealand in the rugby World Cup final in Johannesburg on June 24 1995. The hosting of the World Cup and the country’s win was a positive, uniting event. (Mark Baker, Reuters)

9. Mandela walks through the vast Trafalgar Square crowd in London on July 12 1996. During his four-day stay in the UK, he was presented with the freedom of the city of London and received honorary degrees from eight leading universities. (Dave Caulkin, AP)

10. Mandela and Princess Diana speak with the press after meeting in Cape Town on March 17 1997. (AFP)

Nelson Mandela, RIP December 5th, 2013