Political, Economic, Social, Religious, Cultural, Ethnic Background of President Nelson Mandela - Research Paper Example

Introduction Africa National Congress, the ruling political party in South Africa was formed in 1912 by John Dube and Sol Plaatje. The founders of the association formulated it with the aim of opposing and ending the discrimination of black people in the country. The Afrikaner government that was headed by the Dutch discriminated against black, Indian, and colored people. The discrimination began in 1911 when the government implemented the Land Act that prevented these groups from owning land in any part of the country (Suttner 17). The legislation led to the fleeing of Africans from the rural areas where they owned farms to the towns to find jobs1. Nelson Mandela a black leader of ANC led to the end of the oppression and discrimination of the black, the colored people, and Indians in 1994. Mandela became the president of South Africa under the party in the same year, and since then, ANC has ruled the country up to date (Mandela, Van, and Bouma 30)2. Background Nelson Mandela led the black people in the country to opposing apartheid from 1948 to 1994 when he was sworn in as the head of state. Mandela became a leader of ANC in 1948 when the government introduced the segregation of the citizens based on race and color. The racial classes that the Afrikaner government included whites, blacks, colored, and Indians. The colored people were the non-white and non-Indian such as the Italians (Claasens and Cousins 67). The whites were considered respectable and greater than all other races3. Mandela and other members of ANC struggled to negotiate with the government to end racial discrimination and oppression. The oppression that the black people underwent included serving the Dutch at low or no cost, being hindered from accessing education, and being blocked from leadership positions (Muiui 79). Mandela underwent several imprisonments as an ANC leader with the last one ending in 1990. The leader’s defeat of apartheid in South Africa led to the international recognition of Mandela as a political, social, religious, and economic professional. The United Nations set July 18th as Mandela’s International Day (Sawyer 101). The fact that Mandela was not the founder of ANC indicates that there were other leaders who led the party towards ending apartheid in the country. These leaders have not been recognized internationally; this indicates that there is need for research to identify other members of ANC who contributed to the end of discrimination and oppression. Research Questions i. Apart from Mandela, are there other leaders who contributed to the end of apartheid in South Africa through ANC? ii. What were the contributions of the other ANC leaders, if any, in ending apartheid? iii. What were the strengths and weaknesses of ANC leaders during apartheid? Hypotheses Hypothesis 1 The research expects that there are other leaders who also led ANC in the struggle against apartheid. The leaders include Indian and colored members of the party. This is because during apartheid, even the Indians and the colored people such as Italians were discriminated against by the Dutch government (Koosman 87). Hypothesis 2 The Indians and the colored leaders of African National Congress contributed in the struggle against apartheid. The contributions include the formation of ANC because the party was not developed by Mandela (Stapleton 60).This is indicated by the fact that Nelson Mandela joined the party in 1948, meaning that the former achievements of the association were enhanced by other leaders. Hypothesis 3 The research expects that the leaders of ANC experienced weaknesses and strengths since its formation. This is because the party did not achieve its objective immediately it was formed in 1912. The research has conducted a discussion and analysis of the available literature about the leaders who led ANC since its formation. The analysis involves the contributions of the other leaders and their strengths and weaknesses in ending apartheid in South Africa. The analysis is followed by a conclusion, which states the strengths and weaknesses of the leaderships of ANC in South Africa. Discussion John Dube was an African missionary who had arrived in South Africa together with his family. John’s father was the leader of the Qadi society of Zulu, and through the greatness of his family, he rose to become a South African missionary leader4. Dube started opposing apartheid in the country when he was in school where he received punishments because of protesting against the government. The leader built school for Africans in the country with the main one being Ohangle School that motivated Africans to pursue development careers. John Dube founded ANC in 1912 and named it the South African National Congress. The leader became the first president of the association with his first agenda being to oppose the Land Act that the Dutch government implemented in 1913. Dube visited Dutch leaders in Britain to negotiate about the land act to no avail in 1914 (Sonneborn 132). In 1930 when John returned to politics to oppose the new land act, he found that he had lost all his supporters. The supporters failed to listen to his pleas because in 1914 when he left London for home. Dube left his fellow leaders stranded with no transportation means to go back to South Africa (Suttner 168). John left ANC in 1914 when he and other leaders had gone to London to negotiate about the land legislation. The leader went home to take care of his childless wife and parents, and he forgot about the association. John also left so that he could manage The Ohangle School (Sawyer 99). The exit of Dube from the presidency of ANC led to the dormancy of the association in the 1920s under the leadership of Gumede. The leader was not active in pursuing the objectives of the association, and as a result, the followers of the association voted him out of office. The association became inactive until 1945 when Xuma became the president (Koosman 156). In 1947, Dr. Xuma sought for support from the Indian National Congress of South Africa so that they would struggle to end segregation of blacks and Indians together. The then president of INC was Naicker of the Natal Indian Congress5. Naicker was an Indian who studied medicine in the Edinburg University of Britain. Naicker was elected the leader of INC in 1946 when he and Dadoo led the Indians in opposing the land legislation that also barred Indians from owning land in the country(Sonneborn 170). Naicker cooperated with Xuma in opposing the land tenure, and he experienced imprisonment approximately four times during his two terms as the leader of the Indian Association. Naicker did not give up the struggle against apartheid even when he was detained because he worked with his fellow Indians and African supporters to oppose the land tenure. After the release of Naicker from prison in 1953, the government banned the leader from political movements (Stapleton 145).The banning of Naicker from the public led to the collapse of the cooperation of Indian and African Associations (Suttner 108). Nelson Mandela joined ANC in 1947, but he became an active member in 1948 during the leadership of James Moroka was voted in favour of Xuma. Mandela, Moroka, Pitje, Tambo, and Sisulu started leading Africans against apartheid using direct techniques such as strikes and boycott of duties (Sawyer 122). The leader was still a student in Witwatersrand where he failed consecutively because of his active membership in anti-apartheid politics. The university failed to award him his degree in 1949, but he did not care because politics had become his favourite subject and hobby (Mandela, Van, and Bouma 78). Mandela was arrested in 1952 together with his fellow leaders such as Sisulu because of leading citizens who used violence to fight for their land and recognition rights. Nelson served one year in prison, and after his release, he was banned from the public (Mandela, Van, and Bouma 83). Mandela then formed The Spear of the Nation, a militant group that fought against the government using guerilla warfare6. The formation of the group led to the arrest of Mandela in 1962; the government charged him with the offense of inciting workers and citizens to boycott their duties and strike against the state (Muiui 97). He served in prison for twenty seven years and he was released in 1990. Mandela led anti-apartheid movements after his release from prison with the support of the United States led by Bush, England led by Margaret Thatcher, and France led by Mitterrand (Claasend and Cousins 117). ANC won the elections of 1994 and he was elected as the president serving the nation until 1999 when he retired from politics because of old age. Analysis Contributions The discussion indicates that the African National Congress was led by black people, although they received support from the Indians. The South Africa Indian Congress that also struggled against apartheid in the country supported ANC in the 1940s and 1960s under the leadership of Xuma and Moroka. The support that the Indian Congress had towards the African National Congress signifies that even Indians contributed in leading Africans against the Dutch oppression (Muiui 167). Naicker is one of the Indians whose contribution to ANC was helping the association to formulate techniques that would help it to achieve its goals. The review indicates that John Dube contributed to the formation of the African National Congress. The leader introduced negotiations as a way of ending apartheid when he travelled to London and Britain to negotiate with the states to end oppression of non whites in South Africa (Suttner 104). Mandela contributed to the association by introducing strikes and boycotts as techniques of ending apartheid. The greatest achievement of Mandela was leading the country to the end of apartheid in 1994 (Mandela, Van, and Bouma 176)7. Weaknesses of ANC The weakness of Dube’s leadership was his lack of direction for the association that led him to leave the group without informing others. The leadership of Gumede and Xuma also lacked developmental activities for the association leading to its dormancy during their leaderships (Claasens and Cousins 154). Strengths of ANC The association had creative members who formulated techniques of leading the blacks against oppression. Dube developed negotiations while Mandela formulated strikes and boycott that caught the attention of the Afrikaner government. The groups also had strong leaders who were ready to lose their lives while fighting for the rights of the people. Mandela, Sisulu, and Pitze are some of the leaders who were imprisoned and denied food while struggling to achieve the rights of black people in their country (Mandela, Van, and Bouma 124). Conclusion The African National Congress was led by blacks during apartheid although Indians also contributed to the ideas of the association. This means that Mandela did not struggle against the oppression of Africans alone, and it indicates that there is need to recognize the efforts of other leaders. The weaknesses of the group of lacking objectives indicate that there is need for the current leaders of the association to define clear aims for the party. The party needs to embark on its strengths to ensure that it achieves its goals. The United Nations needs to recognize the other leaders of ANC who contributed to ending apartheid in South Africa. This will ensure that their history is remembered, and it will help the country to appreciate all the leaders who helped the people to achieve freedom from oppression. Work Cited Claassens, Aninka, and Ben Cousins. Land, Power & Custom: Controversies Generated by South Africa's Communal Land Rights Act. Durban: Legal Resources Centre, 2008. Print. Koosman, Melissa. The Fall of Apartheid in South Africa. Hockessin: Mitchell Lane, 2010. Print. Mandela, Nelson, Wyk C. Van, and Paddy Bouma. Long Walk to Freedom. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2009. Print. Muiu, Mueni . The Pitfalls of Liberal Democracy and Late Nationalism in South Africa. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Print. Sawyer, Kem. Champion of Freedom: Nelson Mandela. Greensboro: Morgan Reynolds Pub, 2011. Print. Sonneborn, Liz. The End of Apartheid in South Africa. New York: Chelsea House, 2010. Print. Stapleton, Timothy J. A Military History of South Africa: From the Dutch-Khoi Wars to the End of Apartheid. Westport: Praeger Security International, 2010. Print. Suttner, Raymond. The Anc Underground in South Africa, 1950-1976. Boulder: FirstForumPress, 2009. Print. Read More