Nelson mandela south africas liberator as prisoner nelson rolihlahla mandela was a south african anti apartheid revolutionary political leader he was born on 18 july 1918 in the village of mvezo in umtata then part of south africas cape province. Mr mandelas quest for freedom in south africas system of white rule took him from the court of tribal royalty to the liberation underground to a prison cell to the presidency. Nelson mandelas autobiography south africas liberator who dares call him a terrorist now unknown dec 5th 2013 the long walk to freedom by nelson mandela little brown 630 pages at last a family man the struggle against apartheid is so well documented that informed readers will not find much to startle them in nelson mandelas lengthy account of it but fortunately even this . Nelson mandela in full nelson rolihlahla mandela byname madiba b july 18 1918 d december 5 2013 black nationalist and first black president of south africa 1994 99 his negotiations in the early 1990s with south african president fw de klerk helped end the countrys apartheid system of racial segregation and ushered in a peaceful transition to majority rule. Nelson mandela south africas liberator nelson mandela south africas liberator as prisoner and president dies at 95 kim ludbrook european pressphoto agency mandela as dissident liberator and statesman nelson mandela the leading emancipator of south africa and its first black president died on thursday