*BLACK HISTORY MONTH* NELSON MANDELA

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. His father was Chief Henry Mandela of the Tembu Tribe. Mandela himself was educated at University 

College of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand and qualified in law in 1942. He joined the African National Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies after 1948. He went on trial for treason in 1956-1961 and was acquitted in 1961.

After the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson Mandela argued for the setting up of a military wing within the ANC. In June 1961, the ANC executive considered his proposal on the use of violent tactics and agreed that those members who wished to involve themselves in Mandela's campaign would not be stopped from doing so by the ANC. This led to the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe. Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years' imprisonment with hard labour. In 1963, when many fellow leaders of the ANC and the Umkhonto we Sizwe were arrested, Mandela was brought to stand trial with them for plotting to overthrow the government by violence. His statement from the dock received considerable international publicity. On June 12, 1964, eight of the accused, including Mandela, were sentenced to life imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison, off Cape Town; thereafter, he was at Pollsmoor Prison, nearby on the mainland. READ FULL ARTICLE

NELSON MANDELA IN THE HOSPITAL!

(COURTESY OF Reuters) - Former South African President  Nelson Mandela is recovering from a collapsed lung and could be released from hospital as early as Friday, a source close to Mandela told Reuters on Thursday.

The 92-year-old anti-apartheid icon was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital on Wednesday for what his foundation described as routine tests.

"Mandela was treated by military doctors and should be discharged tomorrow," the source said, asking not to be named.

There has been no official word from the hospital, government or Mandela's foundation on the nature of his illness.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation declined to comment on his health on Thursday but said in an earlier statement: "He is in no danger and is in good spirits."

President Jacob Zuma and the ruling African National Congress appealed for calm on Thursday after the hospitalization set off speculation in local media about Mandela's health.

"President Mandela is comfortable and is well looked after by a good team of medical specialists," Zuma said in a statement. The ANC said there was no cause for alarm.

"He is a 92-year-old and will have ailments associated with his age, and the fact that he stayed the night should not suggest the worst," ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu said.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, a collapsed lung, pneumothorax, is "the collection of air in the space around the lungs," making it more difficult to breathe.

Treatment can vary from allowing the body to repair the problem on its own to placing a tube in the chest to relieve the pressure.

Several members of Mandela's family, including his wife Graca Machel, visited the hospital after his admission, Reuters witnesses said.

Police were called in to control traffic at the Milpark Hospital in a leafy Johannesburg suburb as scores of journalists, photographers and television crews converged on it.

LOOKING FRAIL

Mandela has not been seen in public since the soccer World Cup final in July last year.

Mandela retired from public life in June 2004 before his 86th birthday, telling his compatriots: "Don't call me, I'll call you."