A Famous Person´s Biography

Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, a village of 300 habitants near the Transkei in Mthatha. He belonged to the Madiba clan of the xhosa ethnic group, was one of the 13 children, his father Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa or (also called Henry Mgadla Mandela) had, with his four wives for a Chief Adviser of the Thembu Royal House; at the same time he was the grandson of King, Ngubengcuka, who died in the year 1832; his mother was Nonqaphi Nosekeni Fanny third of the wife of Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa.

After high school, he began to study at the University College of Fort Hare to obtain his Bachelor of Arts degree. There, he was elected as a member of the Council of student representatives, was expelled along with a partner, because of participating in a student strike. He moved to Johannesburg, where in 1941 he completed his baccalaureate studies by correspondence in the Unisa. Then he studied law at the University of Wiswatersrand, graduating in 1942, as a lawyer.

He was married three times, and had 6 children. His first wife Evelyn Evelyn Mase, who died in July 2003 of pneumonia, was divorced in 1957 after 13 years of marriage. A daughter of this marriage died in age of lactation. His first son, Madiba Thembekili died in a car accident in 1969. On January 6, 2005 died his second son of Mandela and his first wife, Makgatho Mandela, at the age of 54 years in Johannesburg, and his death was associated illness AIDS, was lawyer and businessman, married twice and father of 4 children.

After 38 years of marriage to Winnie Madikizela (Winnie Mandela), he separated because of political scandals in April 1992 and finally divorced on March 19, 1996. With Winnie had two daughters, Zenani (Zeni), born on February 4, 1958, and Zindziswa (Zindzi), born in 1960.

On his eightieth birthday, on 18 July 1998, he married Graca Machel, the widow of Samora Machel, the former President of Mozambique and sponsor of the ANC, who died in 1986 in a plane crash.

Mandela is a fan of classical music of George Frideric Handel or Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and usually listens to enjoying the sunset.