Mandela : A biography

689 Pages·2010·16.632 MB·English

by  Martin Meredith

4/color process
gritty matte lamination
Biography/history
“ meredith paints an
insider’s canvas of
“ provides new perspective and insights into the man and
recent south african
his times.”—WAshingTon PosT history as well as an
epic tale of a
T he life of NelsoN MaNdela is one of the epic tales of the freedom fighter.”
—San FranciSco
twentieth century. a descendent of the thembu royal family, a lawyer by
chronicle
profession, he became the central figure in the titanic struggle to overthrow
south africa’s apartheid regime. resorting to armed rebellion, he was sentenced to
life imprisonment and endured years of hardship on robben island, battling against
vengeful white warders and largely forgotten by the outside world.
yet he never lost sight of the cause of democracy. after his release, it was ulti-
mately mandela’s leadership and moral courage that helped deliver a peaceful end
to apartheid after years of racial division and violence. as president, he pursued the
cause of national reconciliation with the same tenacity, striving to promote a sense of
common citizenship between black and white.
in this brilliantly researched, newly updated biography, martin meredith vividly a B i o g r a p h y
captures the epic nature of mandela’s life and, with new perspective, examines his
legacy in today’s south africa.
“ meredith carefully avoids adulation while tracing the course of mandela’s remarkable
M a N d e l a
career....He skillfully depicts mandela’s complex relationships...[and] writes vividly
but unsentimentally about the tribulations and betrayals that racked mandela’s family.”
—Los AngeLes Times
“revealing insights, particularly into the contrast between the
M a r t i N
disciplined mandela who emerged from prison and the
M e r e d i t h
impetuous figure of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s.”
—neW York Times Book revieW
Cover design by Pete garCeau
Cover Photos © getty images
available as an e-book
M a N d e l a
a B i o g r a p h y
$21.99/$25.50 CAN
ISBN 978-1-58648-951-9
52199
M a r t i N
M e r e d i t h
9 781586 489519
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M A N D E L A
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ALSO BY MARTIN MEREDITH:
The Past Is Another Country: Rhodesia—UDI to Zimbabwe
The First Dance of Freedom: Black Africa in the Postwar Era
In the Name of Apartheid: South Africa in the Postwar Era
Coming to Terms: South Africa’s Search for Truth
Elephant Destiny: Biography of an Endangered Species in Africa
Mugabe: Power, Plunder, and the Struggle for Zimbabwe
The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence
Diamonds, Gold, and War:
The British, the Boers, and the Making of South Africa
9781586488321-text_Layout 1 1/28/10 9:48 PM Page iii
M A N D E L A
A B I O G R A P H Y
MARTIN MEREDITH
New York
Copyright © 1997, 2010 by Martin Meredith.
First published in 1997 in Great Britain by the Penguin Group.
Hardcover first published in the United States in 2010 by PublicAffairs™,
a member of the Perseus Books Group.
Paperback first published in the United States in 2011 by PublicAffairs.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and
reviews. For information, address PublicAffairs, 250 West 57th Street, Suite 1321,
New York, NY 10107.
PublicAffairs books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by
corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please
contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut
Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, call [phone], ext. 5000, or e-mail
[email protected].
Grateful acknowledgment is made to Little, Brown & Co. for permission to reprint
extracts from Long Walk to Freedomby Nelson Mandela (copyright © 1994 by Nelson
Rolihlahla Mandela); and to the Alan Paton Trust for permission to quote an extract
from Cry, the Beloved Countryby Alan Paton (copyright © 1948 by Alan Paton). Photos
appear with permission from Link; UWC-Robben Island Museum Mayibuye Archives;
Bailey’s African History Archive; GettyImages; and Magnum Photos.
Editorial production by the Book Factory.
The Library of Congress has catalogued the hardcover as follows:
Meredith, Martin.
Mandela : a biography / Martin Meredith. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-58648-832-1 (alk. paper)
1. Mandela, Nelson, 1918– 2. South Africa—Politics and government—20th
century. 3. African National Congress—History. 4. Political prisoners—South
Africa—Biography. 5. Presidents—South Africa—Biography. 6. South Africa—
Race relations. I. Title.
DT1974 .M474
968.06'5092—dc22
[B] 2010001287
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-58648-951-9
E-book ISBN: 978-1-58648-866-6
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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For T

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CONTENTS
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Map xii
Prologue xv
1 The Mission School Ladder 1
2 Johannesburg 23
3 Friends and Comrades 52
4 The Apartheid Machine 68
5 The ‘M’ Plan 95
6 The Freedom Charter 123
7 ‘The Fabulous Decade’ 143
8 A Trial of Endurance 160
9 Spear of the Nation 192
10 Capture 213
11 Operation Mayibuye 233
12 The Rivonia Trial 245
13 Prisoner 466/64 279
14 A Double Ordeal 303
15 Soweto 319
16 Free Mandela! 337
vii
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viii CONTENTS
17 Talking with the Enemy 353
18 The Football Club 371
19 Botha’s Tea Party 384
20 A Step to Freedom 389
21 The Third Man 414
22 Winnie’s Trial 429
23 Codesa 439
24 Winnie’s Downfall 453
25 The Sunset Clause 461
26 The Loneliest Man 480
27 The Election Roller-Coaster 495
28 Reinventing South Africa 517
29 The Bitter End 533
30 The Gravy Train 543
31 Dealing with the Past 551
32 Passing the Baton 565
33 L’Envoi 574
Notes on Sources 601
Select Bibliography 613
Index 627
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Mandela at nineteen (UWC—Robben Island Museum Mayibuye
Archives)
2. Evelyn Mase, Mandela’s first wife (Eli Weinberg, UWC—Robben
Island Museum Mayibuye Archives)
3. Walter Sisulu (Bailey’s African History Archive, Drum Social
History/Africa Media Online, courtesy Link)
4. The newly opened offices of Mandela and Tambo in Chancellor
House (Jürgen Schadeburg, Getty Images)
5. Boxing in the heavyweight division (Eli Weinberg, UWC—
Robben Island Museum Mayibuye Archives)
6. Mandela outside court in Pretoria, 1958 (Bailey’s African History
Archive, Drum Social History/Africa Media Online, courtesy Link)
7. Mandela with his bride, Winnie Madikizela, June 1958 (Eli Wein-
berg, UWC—Robben Island Museum Mayibuye Archives)
8. Addressing the Pietermaritzburg All-in Conference, March 1961
(UWC—Robben Island Museum Mayibuye Archives)
9. Mandela wearing a beaded Thembu necklace (Eli Weinberg,
UWC—Robben Island Museum Mayibuye Archives)
10. Mandela with Ruth First (Jürgen Schadeburg, Getty Images)
11. Ruth First, Bram Fischer, Joe Slovo, and Rusty Bernstein (UWC—
Robben Island Museum Mayibuye Archives)
12. Mandela with Moses Kotane (Jürgen Schadeburg, Getty Images)
13. Mandela with Oliver Tambo (UWC—Robben Island Museum
Mayibuye Archives)
ix