Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma wasborn on April 12, 1942. He is today the President of South Africa – elected by the majority ANC in Parliament after 2009 general election. He is also the President of the African National Congress, which is the governing political party. He served as Deputy President to Thabo Mbeki from 1999-2005. He is also recognized by his initials, JZ, and clan name Msholozi. He became President of ANC on 18 December 2007 when he defeated incumbent Thabo Mbeki. Zuma was a member of South African Communist party and even served on Politburo – the executive decision-making body, in the 1960s. He was charged with rape in 2005 and acquitted. He fought several legal battles for racketeering and corruption charges by the NPA (National Prosecuting Authority). Zuma was born in Nkandla, Zululand, now part of KwaZulu-Natal. He was orphaned at a young age. His father was a policeman, and his mother a domestic worker. Zuma received no formal schooling as a young boy. He spent most of his childhood idly, moving through suburbs in and around Zululand. His childhood was deprived, since he grew up in poverty. He engaged in politics early – joining the ANC in 1959. When the ANC was banned in 1961, he joined the armed wing of the ANC, ‘Umkhonto we Sizwe’, or MK in 1962 - translated into the ‘Spear of the Nation’. He fought against Apartheid with other notable ANC leaders including Nelson Mandela, using guerilla warfare and terrorism. They attacked government installations, which led to the group being classified as terrorist organization by South African and American governments – and subsequently, banned. Mandela and ANC leadership were all members of the military wing [MK]. MK suspended operations in 1990, in preparation for the ...
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...aten the drums of Africanism and celebrated his own culture without offending many. He has not bent to the wishes of any particular group in order to maintain his moderate nature. What we as Africans can learn from Zuma is to not be ashamed of our culture. Zuma has proven that you can be proudly Hausa, Igbo, or Yoruba and still lead a modern country through the challenges of the 21st century.
Works Cited
"Jacob Zuma." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, 20 Feb. 2011. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. .
"Soweto Uprising." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 13 Feb. 2011. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. .
"BBC News - Profile: South Africa's President Jacob Zuma." BBC News - Home. British Broadcast Corporation: BBC, 1 Mar. 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. .
A man violently opposed to and deeply enraged by the injustice that is at the roots of the Africa...
He joined the African National Congress in 1942 as a form of peaceful protests. The ANC’s goal was, “ to transform the ANC into a mass grassroots movement, deriving strength from millions. . . who had no voice under the current regime. . . [The ANC] officially adopted the Youth League's methods of boycott, strike, civil disobedience and noncooperation” (“Nelson Mandela Biography”). Mandela joined the ANC in order to peacefully remove the government’s racist policies. After he joined, Mandela spent lots of time going in and out of jail. However, he still persisted with making sure blacks gained rights. In 1991, he became president of the ANC and negotiated with President de Klerk for the country’s first multiracial elections. He succeeded. Years later, in 1994, Mandela became the first black president. When he became president, he sought to better the country and guarantee the blacks rights’. Two years after his presidency, Mandela “signed into law a new constitution for the nation, establishing a strong central government based on majority rule, and guaranteeing both the rights of minorities and the freedom of expression” (“Nelson Mandela Biography”). After defeating apartheid, he continued to make sure blacks rights were permanent. Similar to Transcendentalism, Mandela fought to establish blacks rights’ to allow everyone, not just whites, to be capable of discovering a higher truth among
Nelson Mandela was a well-known South African politician, philanthropist, and an anti-apartheid revolutionary, born on eighteenth of July 1918. He served as the South African President from the year 1944 to 1999. He is known as the first South African chief executive, and also the first person to be elected in a free and Democratic election. After he was elected, the government of Nelson Mandela focused on dismantling and destroying the widely spread legacy of apartheid that was reigning in South Africa. He tackled these issues by dealing with institutionalised racism, inequality, and poverty. He also made an effort to foster racial reconciliation (Downing & Jr, 1992). He served as the African National Congress President, as a democratic and an African nationalist, from the year 1991 to 1997. Nelson Mandela was appointed the Secretary General from 1998 to 1999, of the Movement of Non-Alignment. Mandela studied Law when he attended the University of Witwatersrand and Fort Hare University. He got involved in anti-colonial politics at the time he lived in Johannesburg. He joined the ANC and later became a founding and prominent member of the Youth league. Nelson Mandela came to power after the National party of South Africa. He ascended to grea...
He was a very instrumental person in the Pan-African movement. He was a founder of the Nation Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). However, just because he was a great man for the African American community doesn’t mean he was loved and appreciated by everyone. He was hated by white Americans in the United States because he demanded for equal rights and justice amongst African Americans and he demanded that Africa be free from colonialism. Because he was hated and hunted down in the United States, he fled to Ghana where he began his own movements. As a result of him creating his own movements, the 5 Pan-African Congresses were birthed. The role he played in the Pan-African movement was seen as a platform for many other African leaders such as Nnamdi Azikiwe, Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta and Hastings Banda.
Nelson Mandela’s commitment to politics and the ANC grew stronger after the 1948 election victory of the Afrikaner dominated National Party, which formed a formal system of racial classification and segregation “apartheid” which restricted non whites basic rights and barred them from government.
Barack Obama has made no secret that over the past three decades Nelson Mandela has been the greatest influence in his life. Coming from an African ancestry, Obama drew inspiration from Mandela’s life and influenced Obama to take himself upon a journey of self-discovery and find his own voice (Obama, 2004). The repercussions of Mandela’s inspirational work caused Obama to become a part of an anti-apartheid divestment movement in college and to shift to focusing on law and politics (Epstein, 2013). Now that Barack Obama has become President of the United States of America, he has consistently quoted Mandela in all his keynote speeches speaking of freedom and equality and his actions and words are inspired by the desire to emulate Mandela’s powerful actions and movements and the examples that he set, in the 21st century (Killough, 2013). Even within the tribute to Mandela, Obama (2013) says “You can make his life’s work your own…It stirred something ...
...plishments as a political activist absolutely impacted the rest of Africa. He was not the only Pan African leader on a mission, he found comradery, ironically, all over the world. He traveled many places and managed to find likeminded people all set out to aide in the development of African independence. His vision of a free Kenya was accomplished, his struggle was the road less traveled, and his accomplishments are invaluable.
Jomo Kenyatta was the first president of the Republic of Kenya. Born in 1889 in Gatundu Kiambu Kenya, Kenyatta he grew to become one of the African prominent independent leaders. However, his rise into power in the wake of colonization was not a royal road. He was involved in major struggles for independence both in Kenya and other African countries. He managed to acquire education during the times when few Africans were going to school. Kenyatta completed his mission school education in 1912 and became a carpenter. After his initiation which involved physical circumcision as per the Kikuyu culture, he became a renowned person among his people. He was later baptised at the Scotland mission church. His name was changed from John Peter Kamau to Johnson Kamau. Later, he left his home to seek employment in Nairobi. His first job was at Thika where he worked at a sisal farm. At this period, World War I was taking place and British was also involved in war, hence, forced the able bodied men to work in order to avoid them being involved in the war. However, Kenyatta was lucky to escape and went to live with the Masaai in Narok where he got a job as clerk to an Asian contractor. This is the time when he got his name Kenyatta as he took part in the swearing tradition which involved traditional beaded belts which is referred to as “Kenyatta.”
... that role and gained something unimaginable in early times.In 1961, Mandela, who was formerly committed to nonviolent protest, began to believe that armed struggle was the only way to achieve change. He subsequently co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe, also known as MK, an armed offshoot of the ANC dedicated to sabotage and guerilla war tactics to end apartheid. In 1961, Mandela orchestrated a three-day national workers' strike. He was arrested for leading the strike the following year, and was sentenced to five years in prison. In 1963,
..., which caused a conflict with the security of black men that were already working for Mandela. This was one of many of Mandela’s attempts to bring the two races together to show that there would no longer need to be a fear of one another. As a servant leader, Mandela gave his people such empowerment to change the country through their own actions. For example, during Mandela’s meeting with François he made empowering statements about what a leader is and what the role consists of. Which ultimately led to François becoming a greater leader to the rugby team, getting the team more involved with the country and its people (especially the kids), and winning the world cup. Mandela’s role of being a servant leader was very effective. By putting his country before himself he was able to fulfill his ultimate goal of brining peace among the people of South Africa.
He was the first president of the post apartheid era. Mandela was not only just the president of South Africa he Nelson Mandela was the most prominent leader when it came down to the battle of apartheid. As a leader in the African National Congress, Mandela advocated nonviolent protest against apartheid. Mandela had soon decided that violent tactics would be needed to overthrow the government so he soon went underground. If peace would not help him in this time of need, he assumed the opposite would, violence.
He was influenced by the trials he saw in his tribe led by the chief. Being raised in the traditional African tribal culture protected him from racial discrimination, and later on being confronted with the prejudice apartheid regime in the world outside the clan; it influenced... ... middle of paper ... ... ellent policies, 5) the Constitution had come into existence through the working together of various groups that had composed South Africa, 6) South Africa's political and economic institutions are well established, 7) and that South Africa is by far the most developed country in Africa. However, there are still avenues that can impede further progress, more so economically then politically.
He quoted “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people” (Mandela, n.p.). Nelson Mandela wasted no time in prison; he earned his bachelor of law degree from the University of London Correspondence Program. When he was released in 1990, within a year, he was announced the president of the ANC forming a youth league also known as ANCYL-African National Congress Youth League. Also, as challenging as this was, Mandela tried making elections racially undivided and this was a nonsuccess. Anarchy broke out amongst the southern black Africans because they wanted all the power instead of sharing power with the whites, which is what the whites intended. Understanding Mandela, he wanted a peaceful movement and was elected president on May 10, 1994.
This assay will be analysing on one of African president ever recognized as dedicated leader; who dedicated his entire life fighting for freedom of his nation. Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei in a small rural community in the easterner cape of South Africa. On 18july 1918 and named Nelson by one of his teachers, Mandela led the struggle to reinstate the apartheid rule of South Africa against racial discrimination. As well know as a democratic leader he was incarcerated for 27 years. Has been awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1993 and 1994 Nelson Mandela been voted as South Africa first black president. (BBC news-Mandela’s life and times2008)
“I believe that the biggest factor which changed South Africa’s government was the international pressure it got, mostly from the UN. I would love to believe that South Africa’s government eventually understood their mistakes but the UN played a huge role. Without the tension from the United Nations, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get out of prison as soon as I did.”