April Mills

Jennfer Daddow

British Literature A

How Nelson Mandela Taught Forgiveness to a Country

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is the first President of South Africa to be elected in a democratic election and the

country’s first black head of state. He died at the age of 95 on December 5, 2013 (Pidgeon). Among the statesmen who

attended his funeral were four former presidents of the United States and four former prime ministers of the United Kingdom.

Mandela was one of the most widely recognized heroes worldwide, and his death was a tremendous loss not only to South

Africa but also to everyone who believes that there should be freedom and equality for all. His lifelong struggle holds valuable

lessons for other leaders, such as the importance of fighting for a morally just vision, using peaceful means to bring about

change, and encouraging forgiveness without forgetting.

Most people do not know that Mandela was not always the peace advocate that the world came to know and

continue to admire today. There was a time when he was willing to use violence. Although he initially believed in pushing for

reforms through non-violent means, because of the government’s violent retaliation against the anti-apartheid activists, he

eventually saw merit in targeted attacks. It was enough to make him believe that they should resort to an armed struggle. In his

now-famous speech called No Easy Walk to Freedom, Mandela tried to convince the African National Congress (ANC), his

political party, to consider an armed revolution:

Dangers and difficulties have not deterred us in the past. They will not frighten us now. But we must be prepared for

them like men in business who do not waste energy in vain talk and idle action. (Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom 603)

In the 1960s, the South African police killed 69 protesters in what would be known as the Sharpeville massacre. This gruesome

event prompted Mandela to establish ANC’s underground military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, which translated to Spear of the

Nation. Their group was responsible for hundreds of bomb attacks in key cities around the country, including the five bomb

attacks on power stations and government buildings in Durban and Johannesburg. Time magazine even described their

activities as a “low-level guerrilla war” (Waxman). After that, the ANC sent him to Algeria and Ethiopia for military training.

There, he was able to hold a gun for the first time and be comfortable with the idea of killing and fighting fire with fire. He

justified armed warfare as a form of self-defense and as a means to save the lives their opponents had no qualms about ending.

According to a study by Seth Lazar, this moral justification may be enough “when the aggressor we face is embarked on mass

murder” (91). Lazar also mentioned that in an armed struggle, winning is not of paramount importance, instead, it is the values

that they aimed to protect (92). Perhaps Mandela was trying to send a message about the importance of fighting for what he
knew was right. Fortunately, this phase in Mandela’s life did not last long. Shortly after his return to South Africa, a sabotage in

the suburbs of Johannesburg erupted, where he was immediately arrested and convicted for treason. The court sentenced him

to imprisonment for a total of 27 years. 

In prison, Mandela abandoned the idea of an armed struggle just as quickly as he had embraced it. There, he used his

knowledge of the law as his answer to police brutality and harassment not only on his behalf but also to his fellow prisoners.

For him, it became an essential protection against the abuses they faced in prison. Despite those, however, Mandela pointed

out that not every prison warder or apartheid official was bad. That to get along in life, one should see the good in all people. As

a result, he stood out and was remembered by many as a highly principled, respectful, and dignified man—qualities that stood

in stark contrast to the harsh prison life in Robben Island, with its cold sleeping conditions and long periods of loneliness. This

extraordinary strength and resilience were “from the knowledge that we were part of a greater humanity than our jailers could

claim” (Mandela, “Statement of the Deputy President”). This newfound commitment to peaceful means is what made him write

to the leaders of the white government and initiate peace talks with them. He tried to make them see the importance of

putting an end to the apartheid and releasing the political prisoners. His rhetoric during his prison days “changed from the

sharp, angry words of a young revolutionary to the considered, dignified wisdom of a beloved elder” (Dixon). When he was

finally released from prison, he held no grudge and continued to talk to the white supremacist government and persuade them

to hold free, democratic elections. Throughout all of his writings, from his early days in prison to even after his presidency, he

continued to emphasize that not all jailers were rogues and made it a point to focus on their more humane side.

In 1993, Chris Hani, a well-known black equal rights activist, was shot by a far-right white immigrant in the street. The

killer was identified and turned in by a white woman. This targeted killing was the last straw for black South Africans who had

long been tired of years of oppression. Demonstrations against the white supremacist government broke out with millions

wanting to take up arms and cause mayhem. The growing tension and threat of massive upheaval made Mandela, who was

recently freed from prison, appeal for people’s calmness:

Tonight, I am reaching out to every single South African, black, and white, from the very depths of my being. A white

man, full of prejudice and hate, came to our country and committed a deed so foul that our whole nation now teeters

on the brink of disaster. A white woman, of Afrikaner origin, risked her life so that we may know, and bring to justice,

this assassin. The cold-blooded murder of Chris Hani has sent shock waves throughout the country and the world…

Now is the time for all South Africans to stand together against those who, from any quarter, wish to destroy what

Chris Hani gave his life for — the freedom of all of us. (Mandela, “Address to the Nation”)
As its first black president, Mandela knew the vital role symbolism played in post-apartheid South Africa. In 1995, he visited the

widow of former Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, the very man responsible for the apartheid and who put him in prison. He

also supported the national rugby team Springboks, which had become a symbol of racism and Afrikaner power, at a time when

everyone wanted to eradicate it. Rugby has traditionally been white and kept off from black Africans, with the Springboks

having only one black player during Mandela’s time. Because of it, rugby became unpopular among the black Africans and made

them turn to soccer. In addition, because white Africans had long enjoyed it, rugby had also been used to promote apartheid

agendas. In short, the team stood for everything Mandela had fought against all his life. Despite the strong opposition from his

supporters, Mandela chose to campaign for the team. By supporting Springboks, Mandela knew what it meant to his non-

supporters and wanted to show the white minority that blacks would not expect them to abandon such an essential part of

their culture. For a man to see his brothers and sisters so unjustly treated and have almost three decades of his life taken away

and still bestow love to the very antagonist that inflicted these travesties upon him and his race, he became the epitome of

forgiveness and was a good role model to black Africans post-apartheid. He proudly wore the team’s shirt during the

championship match and developed a close bond with the team’s captain, Francois Pienaar. Mandela’s decision proved to be

instrumental as the Springboks’ win was also Mandela’s win against hate and division among his people. The team’s victory in

the Rugby World Cup truly brought the white and black South Africans together. Black Africans celebrated their win and made

them a source of their national pride. They stormed the streets in celebrating the Springboks’ victory. Because of it, the Black

communities developed an interest in the game. Before, there was only one black player on the team. Today there are many,

including the team captain Siya Kolisi. Through his actions and adherence to his principles at a time when many were hungry for

revenge, Mandela encouraged racial harmony and sent a message to the world that the rainbow nation was a nation of

forgiveness. 

The key to Mandela’s leadership was his firm conviction in fighting for equality and freedom, all without

compromising his values and using peaceful means to bring about change. His actions of forgiveness showed his strong focus on

the future and not the past. He was a great example of how complex societal forces, uncompromising values, and critical

moments in decision making can be woven together over time and transform a political party, a nation, and even the world. By

forgiving their oppressors, he was able to show that their ideals can be achieved through peaceful means. He once said in a

speech, “no one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must

learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than

its opposite” (Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom 92). By not holding any bitterness and seeking revenge, Mandela was able to

demonstrate remarkable leadership qualities.

Works Cited

Dixon, Robyn. “Nelson Mandela's Legacy: As a Leader, He Was Willing to Use Violence.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6

Dec. 2013, www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-nelson-mandela-legacy-violence-20131206-story.html.

Lazar, Seth. “Risky Killing and the Ethics of War.” Ethics, vol. 126, no. 1, 2015, pp. 91–117. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/682191.

Mandela, Nelson. “Address to the Nation by ANC President, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, on the Assassination of Martin

Thembisile (Chris) Hani.” Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, 2018,

https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org/omalley/index.php/site/q/03lv02039/04lv02133/05lv02149/06lv02150.htm.

Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk to Freedom. Little, Brown and Company, 1995.

Mandela, Nelson. “Statement of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the religious

service at the Cathedral of Uppsala.” Nelson Mandela Foundation, 2018,

http://db.nelsonmandela.org/speeches/pub_view.asp?pg=item&ItemID=NMS025&txtstr=As%20we%20heard%20that

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%20be%20free.%20We%20saw%20that%20no%20prison%20walls%20or%20guard%20dogs%20or%20even%20the

%20cold%20seas%20that%20are%20like%20deadly%20moat%20surrounding%20Robben%20Island%20prison,

%20could%20ever%20succeed%20to%20frustrate%20the%20desires%20of%20all%20humanity.

Pidgeon, Emily. 28 Historical Moments That Shaped the Decade 2010-2020. 30 Dec. 2019,

www.theceomagazine.com/business/world-news/historical-moments-decade/.

Waxman, Olivia B. Why Nelson Mandela Was on Terror Watch Lists Until 2008. 18 July 2018, time.com/5338569/nelson-

mandela-terror-list/.