Former terrorist Mandela turns 90

1918 Nelson Mandela, South African revolutionary and president. Former husband of convicted felon Winnie Mandela.

In 1961, Nelson Mandela became the leader of the ANC's armed wing and terrorist organization, Umkhonto we Sizwe (translated as Spear of the Nation, also abbreviated as MK), which he co-founded. Mandela also raised funds for MK abroad, and arranged for paramilitary training, visiting various African governments and forming alliances with Communist parties worldwide. He was arrested with a number of colleagues and sentenced to prison, convicted of about 200 charges of terrorism and sabotage. Mandela had personally approved the Church Street Massacre.

When Mandela was put on trial, approximately 90 pages of documents in his own handwriting were presented as evidence against him. One was the famous 'How to be a Good Communist', by Chinese Communist theoretician, Liu Shaoqi. Others included handwritten summaries of texts by Communists Mao Zedong (Strategic Problems of China's Revolutionary War) and Che Guevara (Guerrilla Warfare).

While in prison, Mandela was repeatedly offered his freedom by South African President Botha if he would renounce the use of terrorism, but Mandela refused to do so ...

Watch Mandela sing 'We have pledged to kill the whites', today in the Book of Days

Categories: communism, terrorism, africa, south-africa