Photo of Nelson Mandela at the Rugby World Cup in South Africa.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (pronounced in Xhosa [xoˈliːɬaɬa manˈdeːla]), whose tribal clan name is "Madiba", born July 18, 1918 in Mvezo (Cape Province) and died December 5, 2013 in Johannesburg (Gauteng), is a South African statesman. He was one of the historical leaders of the fight against the institutional political system of racial segregation (apartheid) before becoming President of the Republic of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, following the first non-segregationist national elections in the country's history.
