ROLIHLAHLA Mandela was born in Mvezo, a village in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa on 18 July 1918. He was born into the Thembu royal family and “Madiba”, a name by which he is commonly known, is his Thembu clan name. During his time in primary school in Qunu, he was given the name Nelson by his teacher.
When Mandela was 12 his father died, and he became a ward (someone who is looked after by someone other than their parents) of the acting king of the Thembu people – Jongintaba Dalindyebo – at the
