Nelson Mandela is arguably the most famous African.

But what made him stand out from numerous

other statesmen around the world is his leadership. When Nelson Mandela was a young man, white and
black people in South Africa were not allowed to do things together and had to live separate lives under
a system called apartheid. White people, who were a small part of the population, were in charge of
everything in South Africa. It was illegal for black people to use the same things or go to the same places
as white people and white people had access to better schools and hospitals. Black people were also
denied basic rights, like being allowed to vote in elections. But Nelson Mandela believed that everybody
should be treated equally. He is famous for promoting a message of forgiveness and equality. Apartheid
was abolished a year later in 1991, and three years after that, South Africa held its first fully democratic
elections in which black people, as well as white, were allowed to vote. Nelson Mandela was elected
president and set about trying to bring people of different races together This is why government
officials should lead like him.

First, Self-sacrifice — Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his precious life in prison on Robben Island,
hammering on rocks in the scorching heat during the day, only to retire to a tiny eight-by-seven-foot
concrete cell with only a straw mat to sleep on. When he was offered freedom in 1985, he refused,
saying: “I cannot and will not give any undertaking, at a time when I and you, the people, are not free.
Your freedom and mine cannot be separated!” Mandela set an example of dedication, courage, and
sacrifice for all. During his trial, Mandela refused to defend himself in order to not legitimize the charges
levied against him. He had to separate myself from his dear wife and children, from his mother and
sisters, to live as an outlaw in his own land. He had to close his business, to abandon his profession, and
live in poverty and misery, as many of my people are doing. as he shall fight the government side by side
with you, inch by inch, and mile by mile, until victory is won.

Second, He Was a Unifier — As the old adage goes, “United we stand, divided we fall.” When Mandela
took power, he sought to bring whites, blacks, and other minorities together. Some expected him to
favor blacks, but because of his vision for a rainbow nation, South Africa is currently benefiting from its
rich diversity economically, intellectually, and culturally. From the beginning, Mandela knew that a
single person could be a catalyst for change. He was not afraid to be that catalyst. There is no passion to
be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

He always mentioned in his speeches that let us travel it together. Let us, by our joint actions, vindicate
the purposes for which this Organization was established and create a situation wherein its Charter and
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will become part of the body of law on which will be based
the political and social order of a new South Africa. Their common victory is assured. South Africans
have shown a tremendous capacity to join hands when facing difficulty. The apartheid system eventually
fell because of the unity of those who were denied their rights, and because all sectors of society
recognized that they had more to gain from working together than from fighting each other. It is that
same quality that has helped us, so quickly, to lay the foundations for a better life. Essentially the
government’s task was to create the conditions in which every South African has the opportunity to
create a better life for themselves. But government cannot meet these challenges by itself. It requires of
them all to pull together, into a partnership, in order to bring about the necessary changes. In order to
achieve these goals, he transformed government from a system serving minority interests to one that
meets the needs of all South Africans. And all these things had to be done in a country where most
people were denied experience of government or proper education and training. This is why we have
placed a heavy emphasis on building capacity in government.
Third, He Was a Servant — He focused on the needs of others, not his own, listening to those who
society had ignored and sought out those who society had cast away. He served the poor and the rich;
he served the educated and the illiterate. There is no one Mandela did not care for. He saw everyone as
his brother and sister — even his enemies. While rulers all over the world were busy empowering
themselves and their friends, he was busy empowering his people. He refused to give up on his cause
and his country. He fight for their rights. Reiterating that those who are voteless cannot be expected to
continue paying taxes to a government which is not responsible to them. People who live in poverty and
starvation cannot be expected to pay exorbitant house rents to the government and local authorities.
We furnish the sinews of agriculture and industry. They produce the work of the gold mines, the
diamonds and the coal, of the farms and industry, in return for miserable wages. He questioned the
government. If why would they continue enriching those who steal the products of our sweat and
blood? Those who exploit and refuse them the right to organise trade unions. He encouraged the
people to come along with him, and not to cooperate with the government in its efforts to suppress
the claims and aspirations of your own people? That they shout not to remain silent and neutral in a
matter of life and death of their people

As always been reiterated by Mandela, stand alone when it is to your benefit, with others when it is to
your advantage, and with everyone when it is to your empowerment. He was a great leader who is not
only selfless but also servant of the people who is willing to make and contribute a change in their
country and also in the world. With the help of his people, he was able to change their situation and
fight the discrimination against them. He had pledge himself to liberate all our people from the
continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination. He has
succeeded to take their last steps to freedom in conditions of relative peace. He has committed himself
to the construction of a complete, just and lasting peace. They have triumphed in the effort to implant
hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. They have had entered into a covenant that we shall
build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any
fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity—a rainbow nation at peace with
itself and the world.