Happy Birthday : Nelson Mandela [ 18th July ]

18 July 2013 :: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela  was born on 18^th of  July 1918 in the village of Mvezo in Umtatu, then a part of South Africa’s Cape Province.  Given the forename Rolihlahla, a Xhosa term colloquially meaning “troublemaker”,  in later years he became known by his clan name, Madiba.

 He is a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician 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, multiracial election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as the President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997. Internationally, Mandela was the Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999.