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View images of civil rights leader Nelson Mandela, who went from anti-apartheid activist to prisoner to South Africa's first black president.
Updated at 6:58 a.m. ET: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — As millions of South Africans reflect on how Nelson Mandela led them away from segregation, many others see the former president as a figure firmly rooted in the past with limited impact on their future.
"For my generation, the heroes are not political icons, as incredible as they are," said Gugu Ximiya as he boarded a minibus packed with Sowetans travelling to work in the rich, white neighborhoods in the country’s largest city. "We have our own problems and the political leaders do nothing.
"My icons are the sports stars, movie stars, people who make money. To me, they’re the people who have really made it," the 23-year-old security guard when he was asked about the former president. Mandela, 94, was admitted to a hospital in Pretoria on Saturday to receive treatment for a lung infection.
Mandela suffers recurrence of lung infection
Mandela is often described as "the father" for leading South Africa out of apartheid without a violent transition. His country is very young.
From prisoner to liberator, Nelson Mandela's fight for equality in South Africa serves as a shining example of justice and peace. Here's a look at the pivotal moments in the life of South Africa's first black president.
Democratic South Africa, the so-called Rainbow Nation, is now 18 years old. Most of its people were children or not even born when Mandela was released from prison in 1990. A whole generation of people have been "born free" since racial segregation ended with the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.
South Africa enters adulthood as 'born frees' come of age
Now, almost 60 percent of South Africans are under 35 years old — 29 percent are younger that 15, according to the country’s most recent census.
For those who remember the euphoria of their first taste of freedom in 1994, Mandela often represents hope that has not been replicated since. The generation that does not remember that great moment often cannot feel the same closeness to Mandela.
"I wasn’t there. My parents tell me all about it, and I get it. But who is my Mandela? What he did is great, but it is fading from our memory," Ximiya said.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela is being treated for a recurring lung infection. South African authorities gave few details about his illness, but have now said the 94-year-old is responding well to treatment. NBC's Rohit Kachroo reports.
For others, Mandela's illness has brought a sense of unity to a country that remains often bitterly divided by race and economics. As the census shows, the income of white households is six times higher than black ones. Protests about basic services have become an almost daily occurrence in urban areas as the government struggles to fix a broken education system and address chronic unemployment and poverty.
In Soweto, an almost exclusively black township described as "the heartbeat of the nation," many people said they were alarmed by news of Mandela’s admission to hospital.
Themba Hadebe / AP
Young women walk pass a mural depicting former South African President Nelson Mandela at Alexandra township in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Tuesday.
Close to the house where Mandela once lived, now a museum, Joe Nkosi sells souvenirs celebrating Soweto’s past.
"We all fear the worst, but hope he is OK," the 32-year-old said. "He is just so, so special to every single one of us. If anything happened to him there would be tears everywhere."
'Steered us away from disaster'
Mandela, who became a global symbol of resistance to racism and injustice after spending 27 years in apartheid prisons, represents to the world what is best about South Africa, according to political analyst Mzoxolo Mpolase.
"He has become the embodiment of South Africa’s strengths," he said. "The way he reacted to trouble, how he steered us away from disaster when he came out of prison and throughout his presidency."
Killings of S. Africa farmers a toxic apartheid legacy
"It was a tone of reconciliation and working together," Mpolase said. "His death would lead us to ask whether those ideals can be sustained."
Secretary of State Clinton tells of the important life lessons she has learned through her friendship with Nelson Mandela.
Mandela was released in 1990 and went on to use his unparalleled prestige to push for reconciliation between whites and blacks as the bedrock of the Rainbow Nation.
While people around the world revere Mandela, it is impossible for them to truly understand what he accomplished, said Faith Radebe, a 63-year-old domestic worker.
"People from outside South Africa cannot understand how much he means to us," she said.
"When I think about Madiba, I think about what these streets were like under apartheid," she said, referring to Mandela by his clan name. "I remember how excited we were when he came out of prison. We knew that the past was over, and that we would be free."
So as Radebe remembers what Mandela accomplished on behalf of his countrymen, political analyst Mpolase worries that his death will signal the end to the idealism that created the modern South Africa.
"His passing would be tantamount to the country losing its very foundations," he said. "A part of the country would die too."
South Africa releases newly-minted bank notes showing the smiling face of former president Nelson Mandela. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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what a great man he is. greated the rainbow nation. things could have been much worse. Now it is for the current leaders to get rid of the corruption and get the economy booming, They have enough resources. God Bless. Nkosi Sikelela
Agreed - What Mandela did for South Africa, steering it from apartheid to a democratic nation without going through a massive, violent backlash against whites was truly incredible. The fact that the people in general respected him and answered his call for peaceful reconciliation, not retaliation showed the true strength of Mandela as a leader. Yes, there was some retaliatory violence, but it was fairly minimal considering the years of oppression the blacks in South Africa had suffered under white rule. The fact that Mandela himself did not seek any retribution, considering what he went through under the white apartheid regime, shows the true strength of his character. I think the fact that he went through so much and still called for a peaceful transition and reconciliation is why the people of South Africa listened to him and respected his wishes that there be no retribution or violence.
If Mandela is truly great, one should be able to list out his achievements. The greatness that still persists and is slowly fading from South Africa is only the legacy of a great administration and nation building by the white communities, English and Dutch. As of now, the legacy that Mandela can really lay claim to are these: Corruption, social insecurity, molestation, killing, growing poverty and such things. If the Whites leave this nation en-mass, the nation will fall headlong into decades of violence and will become just like many other African nations.
Mandela could belong to some feudal, royal families of the place. If South African native Black languages are feudal in contents, as is true about Indian and other Asian language, as the majority population plunges more and more into terrible conditions and a minority goes up to towering heights, people would go on saying Mandela is great! That is true in the case of Gandhi, another fake.
If one were to dispassionately ponder on things and realities of Africa, it may be seen that it was the White races that gave the Blacks, freedoms, education, cultural development, social security, and personality development. The blacks themselves will not be able to give any of these to other blacks. However, the Whites being the trainer race over there, wanted a private space. That is natural and quite understandable considering the circumstances. If that need for a private space is a crime, it is a crime that exists in various forms all over the world. And insisted by villainous people
Mandela is not a hero, but just some royal personage who has the genius to make a mess of gradually emerging developments. South Africa is heading for real disaster. I hope Mandela survives to see his real legacy.
ved victoria... You surely sound like someone who has no knowledge of african culture or anything else for that matter. in fact is the leaders after Madiba who really didnt get there act together. You need to get that chip of your shoulder and look forward.
Untoryodi, are you an afrikaner? Have you LIVED in South Africa? Our once great nation is on the verge of collapse thanks to the revolution that began with Nelson Mandela. We were once the most powerful, prominent nation on the continent, and now we are fast becoming third world. The farms white Afrikaners built, the schools and the roads white Afrikaners built, are FALLING apart thanks to these monsters. Walk down the street in South Africa and you can SEE it with your own two eyes. White families have been forced to emigrate under the rule of RACIALLY oppresive black rule. Please do not speak on things you do not know.If looking forward means surrendering to failure, death and opression, ill take a pass, thank you. Ask yourself, what would YOU do if you say your family members being killed...hunted down and set on fire...simply because they were white?
Afrikanerheart - The whole continent of Africa is going south. South Africa will end up like Rhodesia. I fear for you. Good luck.
I just hope the passing of Mandela in the future isnt the start of another failed African state. If the South Africans turn on the minority white population as other African countries have I wonder what will replace them, corrupt govt officials ? Africans are locusts who are consuming everything, there is no thought of the future when each woman is having so many babies.
Still have a long way to go, pervasive poverty , illiteracy. disease and multiple other socail ills prevails . Mandela has set the path, followers must continue to uplift the nation and its people.
Mandela did NOT create the rainbow nation. The term refers to the melting pot of diverse cultures and ethnicities in South Africa. It is a fact that most tribes did not want Mandela in power, but that the whole election process was rigged so that people in other parts of the world could have a new hero. Tribes do not get along, and the Xhosas, Mandela's tribe, is the most unpopular. Mandela was incarcerated as a "freedom fighter", a term all South Africans understand too well to mean "terorist". Pressure from especially the US, and the relentless negative media resulted in an election that was so skewed, it was mind boggling. Mandela is held up as a martyr and a hero, and perhaps he became somewhat of a great man in later life, but unless you understand the whole picture, you will never know the truth. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.
His biggest claim to fame is surviving prison,it seems
Mandela did NOT create the rainbow nation. The term refers to the melting pot of diverse cultures, tribes and ethnic groups living in South Africa. Mandela was incarcerated for being a "freedom fighter", a term most South Africans know is a euphemism for "terrorist". The media will have you believe he is a martyr and a hero, but unless you understand the true history of the country, you will never know the truth. Mandela might have become a somewhat popular man in the world, in South Africa he is a member of the Xhosa tribe, and only if you are South African will you know there was never the remotest possibility he would have been elected president. The country is exceedingly tribal (like everywhere in Africa), and his tribe is the most hated.
I guess we all need a hero, the media created one, and people believe anything!
Every generation it seems must have their outstanding leader who inspires them.Unfortunately as this article pointed out, the new younger generation is looking at the sports stars, movie stars, people who make money. But what these young people don't realize is, such people usually have not faced threats to their lives, causes for which they would suffer whatever was require because they were just. Live principals for which they are beaten, tortured and could be locked away. Where is the willingness to give selflessly so others lives may be better?
Instead, they adore those who pretend to be someone they really aren't, living in fantasy worlds, seeking materialistic things, and playing recreational games.No need to try to realize how much one can create something great within the world. That can help so many others and make it such a better place.Giving people a great sense of purpose and joy. Discovering ones talents and exploring the richness of life.
Too many people suck. They are ingrates who soon forget what they have, what was given to them and where they come from. They think about what is coming next and not what came to them. MOre, more more.....
And that is not a good sign as usually those gains get lost if not appreciated. Measure your gains comparing your childhood versus your chldren's childhood and also judging Happiness, as relative as that might be.
Nelson Mandela is a very special person in the history of South Africa. Despite his long, painful incarceration on Robin Island, he managed to survive the physical and mental anguish that came with it. He also managed to forgive his tormentors and to lead all of South Africa into a new era. Even after his term of office expired, Mandela's presence has had a tremendous (and positive) impact on race relations in that country. As far as I know, Mandela never sought retribution or revenge against the former rulers and white people of South Africa. He has been a strong voice for moderation, and a proponent of the necessary cooperation between blacks and the remaining white population in order to help foster a healthy society and strong economy. Many people fear that with Mandela's eventual passing, that the more radical elements within the ANC will initiate a "reign of terror" against white South Africans. I, for one, hope and pray that this will not be the case at all. The greatness and vibrancy of South Africa depends on the full and equal cooperation, and participation, between all the races---black, colored, and white. No one race should ever be excluded at the expense of the other. That would surely be the recipe for disaster and chaos.
NELSON MANDELA IS A TERRORIST. Well known, yes. Wealthy, yes. But terrorists nonetheless. Remember Mandela's African National Congress and "necklacing"? Here's what wikipedia says,
"Necklacing is the practice of summary execution and torture carried out by forcing a rubber tyre, filled with petrol, around a victim's chest and arms, and setting it on fire. The victim may take up to 20 minutes to die, suffering severe burns in the process.
The practice became a common method of lethal lynching during disturbances in South Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. The first recorded instance took place in Uitenhage on 23 March 1985 when African National Congress (ANC) supporters killed a councillor who was accused of being a collaborator.[1]
Necklacing "sentences" were sometimes handed down against alleged criminals by "people's courts" established in black townships as a means of enforcing their own judicial system. Necklacing was also used to punish members of the black community who were perceived as collaborators with the apartheid government. These included black policemen, town councillors and others, as well as their relatives and associates. The practice was often carried out in the name of the ANC. Winnie Mandela, then-wife of the imprisoned Nelson Mandela and a senior member of the ANC, even made statements that endorsed its use."
NELSON MANDELA IS A TERRORIST!!
He was on the US terrorist list until 2008 which is absurd but it suited the US. Terrorist is a label of convinience.
Let's be fairly calm. Transitioning to a multi-colored nation without significant bloodshed is a great accomplishment. Otherwise, I don't see much. South African Universities are much less respected; the quality of medical education has plummeted, and Mandela supports Hamas firing rockets into Israel. In additon, much of the White educated classes have fled.
A limited great man. Overrated.
Mandela is an Icon of Love, Compassion, and a Fearless Advocate of Freedom. I do not believe his vision of peace and freedom has been truly recognized yet, and until you can get the greedy gold and diamond dealers out of africa, (where it is an advantage to have cheap labor), the africans will never be able to capitalize off of their own natural resources. Get Well Soon Mandela, you have work left.
My most reliable information about Nelson Mandela confirms the worst of what has been written here. I would not be surprised to learn that he has openly advocated violent revolution with the help of such illustrious entities as the Bilderberg Group and the Trilateral Commission. How do you get the public to learn and accept the truth about such a man? Just keep telling it.