URolihlahla uyazalwa aze angene emzabalazweni
UNelson Mandela ungumholi ohlonishwa umhlaba wonke owachitha impilo yakhe yonke elwela inkululeko kubandlululo ngokobuhlanga nengcindezelo eNingizimu Afrika. Ngonyaka we-1993 waklonyeliswa ngendondo yeNobel Peace Prize ngeqhaza alibamba ekuletheleni abantu baseNingizimu Afrika ubulungiswa nenkululeko. Kwaba nguye uMengameli wokuqala woHlanga weNingizimu Afrika ekhululekile.
URolihlahla Mandela wazalelwa eMvezo, idolobhana elingaphandle kwaseMthatha, zilishumi nesishiyagalombili kuNtulikazi ngowe-1918, isithakazelo sakhe, ungowesizwe sabaThembu. UngowaseNdlunkulu yoBukhosi babaThembu. Ukhokho wakhe wayeyiNgonyama yabaThembu. Uyise kwakunguGadla Henry Mphakanyiswa okwakungumeluleki ohlonishwayo weNgonyama yabaThembu, uNjongintaba Dalindyebo. Unina kwakunguNongaphi Nosekeni. Igama elithi “Rolihlahla” ngokuhunyushwa lisho ukudonsa ihlahla. Uyise washona eneminyaka eyisishiyagalolunye (9) wabesehlala neNgonyama uJongitaba.
UMandela wayehlabeka umxhwele ngemilando yezimpi zakudala phakathi kwaboHlanga nabelungu ayezixoxelwa ngabadala, lapho oyisemkhulu batshengisa khona ubuqhawe obumangalisayo. Naye waba eseba nesifo sokubamba iqhaza ekukhululeni abantu bakubo.
UMandela kwaba nguye owokuqala ukuya esikoleni ayofunda. Ngoba unina wayeyikholwa laseMethodist, uMandela waqala ukufunda esikoleni saseMission yaseMethodist. Yilapho athola khona igama lakhe lesiNgisi likaNelson ngenxa yokuthi amagama abantu ayengamukeleki kumaKoloni nakumamishinali. UMandela owayengumfundi okhaliphile waphothula izifundo zakhe zeJunior Certificate (JC) ngeminyaka emibili eClarkebury Boarding Institute. Ngemumva kwalokho wayofunda eHealdtown esikoleni saseWeseli lapho aphothula khona izifundo zikamatikuletsheni.
Ekuphothuleni kwakhe izifundo zikamatikuletsheni wabeseyofunda eNyuvesi yaseFort Hare lapho akhethwa khona ukuba abe ilungu loMkhandlu Omela Abafundi. Ngesikhathi eseFort Hare wabangumngani ka-Olivier Tambo baxoshwa esikoleni ngowe-1940 ngokuba bajoyina isiteleka sokuduba amakilasi, okwakuphambana kuwo nenqubomgomo yeNyuvesi.
UMandela wahamba waya eGoli lapho afike waqedela khona izifundo zakhe eNyuvesi yaseSouth Africa (Unisa). Lapha wahlangana noWalter Sisulu owamhlahlela ukuba athole ithuba lokuqeqeshelwa ubummeli enkampanini yabammeli iLazar Sidelsky’s Law Firm. Ngemumva kokuzuza iziqu zikaBA wasuka wayokwenza izifundo zakhe zomthetho eNyuvesi yaseWitwatesrand kodwa washiya ngowe-1948 engaqedile ukufunda. Ngesikhathi esejele uMandela waqhubeka wenza izifundo zomthetho eNyuvesi yaseLondon ngaphansi kohlelo lwayo babephikisana nokuthi aboHlanga abaphathe amapasi, uHulumeni wamaNashinali wavala i-African National Congress (ANC) umlomo. Ngalesi sikhathi uMandela nabanye babeboshiwe. Njengoba yayisivaliwe umlomo inhlangano yaphoqeka ukuthi iqhubeke nomzabalazo ngomshoshaphansi. UMandela kulesi sigaba wavela njengeqhawe nomhloli. Waphoqeda uMandela ukuba ashiye umndeni wakhe aphendule umahambehlala ukuze avike izimpimpi zamaphoyisa. Wasebenzisa izindlela zokuzifihla ukuthi engabonakali. Wayezifihla njengesisebenzi nanjengomshayeli (chauffeur). Wagcine ethole igama lokuthi “Black Pimpernel” ngendlela ayekwazi ngayo ukuzifihla ukuthi engabonakali. Wakwazi ukuhamba izindawo eziningi ezweni wahlala nabantu abaningi ababezwana naye. Ngowe-1961 uMandela nabanye abaholi be-ANC basungula uphiko lwezimpi lwenkululeko, UMkhonto weSizwe (MK), ukuze bangene emzabalazweni wezikhali. UMandela wayezokuba ngumkhuzi omkhulu wombutho. Ngokuthi uHulumeni uqhubeke uhlasele ubulala abantu abangahlomile, uMandela wabona ukuthi ayikho enye indlela okungabhekwana ngayo noHulumeni ngaphandle komzabalazo wezikhali ukuzabalaza ngokuthula okwakulokhu kwenziwa akuzuzisanga lutho.
