Role Of Nelson Mandela In Civil Disobedience

591 Words3 Pages
During 1940s and 1950s he rose rapidly through the ANC hierarchy, was frequently subject to detention, police harassments, and banning. ANC was outlawed in 1960, that's when he went underground and a military wing was formed, Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). In 1962 Mandela was sentenced for five years of imprisonment for travel without valid travel documents whilst leaving South Africa and inciting Africans to strike. Two years later during his detension in 1964, was charged with treason and sentenced him to life imprisonment for giving a four-and-a-half hours of speech criticizing apartheid which is memorable. Living in a prison had the same meaning as living in the worst place in South Africa: Robben Island. ANC prisoners earned "D" classifications, prisoners who were the most dangerous and had the least rights. They were kept in cells with hay carpets and thin blankets as beds and iron buckets for toilets. The daily menu…show more content…
He was kept 23 hours in his cell every day, merely lit by a lamp. Because of which he was unable to sleep or know what the time was. He was only allowed to have one visitor once in six months and he was once not allowed to see his wife (Winnie) for two years. He was allowed to write and receive one letter every six months. The letters he received was screened by the guard, who would cut and remove the parts that were considered unsafe or effectively erasing. Mandela spent twenty-seven consecutive years of his life in detention. For 18 years (1964 - 1982) he was held on Robben Island, in 1982 he was moved to Pollsmoor Prison, Cape Town, and in 1988 he was again moved to Victor Verster Prison, in Paarl, till 1990. From 1985 on he rejected several offers of "conditional" release which would have imposed limitations on his political activities. His imprisonment improved his political status which resulted in worldwide campaign to release

More about Role Of Nelson Mandela In Civil Disobedience

Open Document