Mandela is a major Genuine Do-Gooder. He dedicated most of his life,
which included 27 years in jail, for the cause of a South Africa where everyone had the
right to vote. He also developed a power base to help him make the change that he had
sought for so long.
Born in 1918 in a remote village, Mandela was prophetically named
Rolihlahla by his
father. This name technically means "pulling the branch of a tree" but
colloquially means "troublemaker." His father was a village chief who believed
in education and made arrangements for Mandela to receive one. However, the troublemaker
label proved prophetic because Mandela was thrown out of college after his sophomore year.
He refused to take student office after being elected through what he considered to be an
undemocratic election process even after having several opportunities to reassess his
position by school authorities.
The story of Mandela is the story of a troublemaker turned
into a cooperative problem solver. He tells the story very well in his autobiography Long
Walk to Freedom. He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1942, was jailed in
1963, was released in 1990 and became President in 1994.
Mandela succeeded through his commitment and his genius for keeping things together.
First, he worked effectively to keep
the ANC from splintering for more than half a
century. Then, he worked with the ruling National Party in 1990 to keep together a
coalition of whites, blacks and coloreds that led to the complicated and compromise
political solution that govern South Africa today. He shared the spotlight with President
F.W. DeKlerk, the leader of the white and ruling National Party. The new government and
Mandela have their critics because many social and economic problems remain. But no one
can deny that the problem of the political disenfranchisement of the non-white population
has been solved.
