Mandela, a legendary life
- By Zhang Ming'ai
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 6, 2013
South Africa's first black president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela has died at the age of 95.
Mandela, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, had battled health problems in recent months, including a recurring lung infection that led to numerous hospitalizations.
"He is now resting. He is now at peace," South African President Zuma said, "Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father."
Nelson Mandela, a soldier fighting for freedom, went through many twists and turns during his lifetime. This anti-apartheid hero spent 27 years in prison, married three times and had six children in total, two sons and four daughters. Aside from his political struggles, Mandela's private life also witnessed the occasional hiccups. All in all, the life of this legendary South African leader can serve as a tale of courage and persistence for generations to come.
![Former South African President Nelson Mandela smiles during the launch of postal stamps in Houghton, outside Johannesburg July 15, 2008, issued by the South African Post Office to celebrate his 90th birthday.[Xinhua]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20130703/001372acd6e1133df87717.jpg "Former South African President Nelson Mandela smiles during the launch of postal stamps in Houghton, outside Johannesburg July 15, 2008, issued by the South African Post Office to celebrate his 90th birthday.[Xinhua]")
Marriage, times three
Mandela married his first wife Evelyn Mase in 1944. Evelyn was a cousin of Mandela's friend Walter Sisulu, his political mentor and fellow prisoner. They had two sons Madiba Thembekile "Thembi" and Makgatho, and two daughters both called Makaziwe, the first of whom died in infancy. The couple led a peaceful and comfortable life when they first got married, but as Mandela was fully engaged in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, he seldom had the time to look after his family. The couple finally separated in 1955 and divorced in 1958. In 1998, Mase married a businessman but continued to use the last name "Mandela."
Mandela met his second wife Winnie Madikizela in 1956 and married her in 1958. They had two daughters, Zenani and Zindzi.
Madikizela is a famous activist in South Africa, but remains very controversial. She was very popular among her supporters, who called her "Mother of the Nation," but was reviled by others for her alleged association with criminal behavior such as fighting, kidnapping, interrogation by torture and even murder.
She was also involved in 23 criminal cases. When Mandela was released from prison in 1990, he found that scandals involving his wife were splashed across the newspapers. He tried several times to persuade her, but failed to win back her heart. He once confessed that he became the loneliest person in the world during the period he spent with her after he'd left prison. They divorced in 1996.
In 1996, a 78-year-old Mandela astonished the world when he said, "I have fallen in love again."
On July 18, 1998, Mandela's 80th birthday, 53-year-old Graça Machel, widow of the former Mozambican president Samora Machel, became his new bride.
Born into a tribal chief's family, Machel had received a good education. She graduated from the University of Lisbon and is fluent in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and English, as well as her native Tsonga. She was once Minister for Education and Culture of Mozambique following the nation's independence in 1975. After her retirement, Machel dedicated herself entirely to her duties as a wife and mother. She is a heroine in the eyes of the Mozambican people.
It was no love at first sight for Machel and Mandela; their passion for and devotion to one another grew over time. Machel injected Mandela's life with a shot a new vitality, making him recall the feeling of how nice it could be to have a considerate lover by his side. He once joked, "From now on, I have two important things in my life: one is Graça, the other is to eat prawns in Mozambique."
Aside from two failed marriages and having lost one child in infancy, Mandela lost two more of his children before their time. Thembi died in a car accident in 1969, and Makgatho died from an AIDS-related illness in 2005. Though he may have been absent, or imprisoned, for much of their youth, this remains a devastating event for any parent.
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