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MADIBA: A case study on Nelson Mandela’s life 1

MADIBA

 A case study on Nelson Mandela’s life

Kazim Raza Syed (ME3)

General Management Skills

Instructor: Prof. Ernesto Barrios

Escuela Técnica Superior e Ingenieros Inustriales (ETSII)

!ni"ersia #olitécnica e Mari

 Abstract: This short report is based on the life of Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, and 

a sincere attempt has been made to analyse the decisions he undertook during his lifetime which

eventually made him one of the most revered leaders of the world

T$e li%e stor& o% 'elson Manela is ell knon an $as ele"ate $im to t$e le"el o% suc$ iel&

recogni*e $eroes as Ma$atma Gan$i an Mot$er Teresa+ T$ere is muc$ courage sacri%ice isom an

no,ilit& in $is li%e - attri,utes t$at eman our eep respect an $a"e muc$ to teac$ us+

Manela e"ol"e into t$e kin o% strategic leaer $o %rom prisons on .o,,en Islan an else$ere$elpe to ,ring genuine emocrac& to Sout$ A%rica+ /or e0ample $ile isolate %rom $is %ello prisoners

 ,& %orce $e steere secret go"ernment meetings toar t$e a,olis$ment o% apart$ei an %ree elections+

Su,seuent to t$at $e ,ecame t$e countr&2s %irst emocraticall& electe ,lack presient+

Manela2s remarka,le stor& $ols "alua,le lessons %or people in"ol"e in eep struggles %oremost among

$ic$ are t$e importance o% $oling %irm to a morall& ust "ision an t$e a,ilit& to in%luence a seuence

o% ke& strategic ecisions o"er time (ecaes in $is case) in orer to ,ring a,out trul& remarka,le results+

Life summary:

Manela as ,orn in 1415+ 6is %at$er as a top a"iser to a tri,al ro&al %amil& (t$e T$em,u) an $elpe

elect t$e tri,e2s ne c$ie% $o later a%ter Manela2s %at$er ie took t$e &oung ,o& into $is on %amil&+

T$is pat$ le Manela %rom an isolate small "illage up,ringing to t$e centre o% tri,al poer in $is teens

$ic$ in turn aakene $is interest in eucation an politics+ 6e stuie la at t$e !ni"ersit& o% t$e

7itatersran an earl& on ,ecame in"ol"e in anti8colonial politics+ Manela as a %ouning mem,er 

o% t$e 9out$ eague insie t$e A%rican 'ational ;ongress (A';) t$e main ,lack political part& o% Sout$

A%rica $ic$ as later outlae an ,anne ,& t$e go"ernment+ T$e countr&2s ruling part& t$e 'ational

#art& ('#) starte to implement a strateg& o% strict racial segregation later knon as apart$ei a%ter 

coming to poer in 14

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7$ile in prison Manela stoo out - among ,ot$ prisoners an guars - as $ig$l& principle

respect%ul igni%ie an illing to sacri%ice $is li%e %or $is ,elie%s+ #rison li%e as $ars$ it$ ,a %oo

col sleeping conitions in t$e inter an long perios o% loneliness+ Manela %ell ill intermittentl& an

contracte nast& lung in%ections incluing tu,erculosis ue to $is &ears in amp prison cells+ Despite

t$ese conitions $e rote ong 7alk to /reeom $ic$ c$ronicles $is li%e in etail against t$e ,ackrop

o% eep social inustice an $ars$ state oppression+ T$is ,ook as smuggle out in pieces an printeo"erseas $en %inis$e+ It ,ecame a glo,al ,est8seller+ An international %reeom campaign ,& t$e

A';$a manage to make Manela t$e poster c$il o% opposition to apart$ei as ell as an elouent

spokesman %or a ne emocratic Sout$ A%rica+

T$e orl took notice: International ,usinesses as ell as go"ernments increasingl& ,o&cotte Sout$

A%rica uring t$e 145s+ Business leaers %rom Anglo America an ot$er local companies ere

increasingl& putting pressure on #resient Bot$a an later on $is successor /+ 7+ e lerk to c$ange

course+ Cer& slol& t$e A%rikaner leaers$ip starte negotiations it$ Manela in prison it$

go"ernment leaers "isiting $im in person s&mpat$etic $ite guars passing messages to an %rom t$e

A'; an Manela ,eing %lon %rom $is ne prison $ouse near ;ape Ton to meet in secret it$ Bot$a

an later e lerk in t$e capital o% #retoria+

Somet$ing $a to gi"e an it $appene in e lerk2s seminal opening speec$ to #arliament in /e,ruar&

144+ 6e calle %or %ree emocratic elections (one man one "ote) as ell as t$e unconitional release o% 

all non8"iolent political prisoners+ In aition $e li%te t$e ,an on t$e A'; an man& ot$er outlae

 parties+ T$is as a aters$e e"ent since $ites ere a minorit& in t$e countr& an oul surel& lose

 political poer t$roug$ t$ese eclarations+ De lerk kept $is promises an release political prisoners

alt$oug$ not Manela at %irst gi"en $is "iolent past+ De lerk as $oping %or a poer s$aring

arrangement it$ t$e A'; ,ut t$is e"entuall& pro"e to ,e na"e on t$e part o% t$is ot$erise "er&

 pragmatic '# leaer+ De lerk an Manela ere aare t$e 'o,el #eace #ri*e in 1443 %or ac$ie"ing a

largel& non8"iolent "oluntar& trans%er o% poer ,& a strong minorit& group to a $ostile maorit& a raree"ent in $uman $istor&+

Key decisions undertaken by Mandela:

T$e %irst occurre $en Manela as o%%ere a conitional release %rom prison ,& t$e go"ernment+ In a

145= speec$ to t$e nation #resient Bot$a o%%ere Manela %reeom i% $e renounce "iolence an ot$er 

illegal acti"it&+ T$e #resient trie to s$i%t t$e ,lame %or imprisonment to Manela $imsel%+ Manela i

not %all %or t$is transparent plo&+ 9es $e "er& muc$ esire %reeom a%ter ecaes o% $ar la,our an

con%inement ,ut $e also %elt it oul ,etra& $is principles $is leaers$ip an t$e A';2s long struggle+

Manela turne on t$e #resient an opte to sta& in $is col ark prison cell - a,out eig$t %eet ,&

eig$t %eet in si*e - an as prepare to ser"e out t$e remainer o% $is li%e sentence+ T$is ke& ecisionas strategic since it greatl& ele"ate $is position as t$e %ace o% t$e A'; $ile also raing attention to

$is enormous personal sacri%ice+ In aition it re"eale Manela2s keen situational aareness t$at

 political c$ange oul come soon e"en t$oug$ $e as isolate %rom t$e nes meia an poorl&

in%orme a,out e"elopments in t$e countr&+ Manela2s intuition pro"e rig$t: 6al% a ecae later t$is

man o% eep principle as release unconitionall& an rose to ,ecome t$e presient o% t$e A'; an t$en

t$e countr&+

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T$e secon strategic ecision occurre s$ortl& a%ter Manela ,ecame a %ree man ,ut ,e%ore ,eing electe

 presient in 144

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7$at Manela o%%ers aspiring strategic leaers is a li"ing e0ample o% $o comple0 societal %orces

uncompromising "alues an ke& moments o% ecision can ,e o"en toget$er o"er time into a "ision t$at

can trans%orm a political part& a nation an e"en t$e orl+ Manela s$oe leaers$ip is so muc$ more

t$an ust e0ecution o% a strateg& rat$er comprises o% in"inci,le moral "alues compassion sacri%ice an

%orgi"eness+ In t$e en e"en $is %oes amire as ell as respect $im - an ustl& so+ 6e is one o% t$e most

remarka,le men o% t$e last 1 &ears+ I %eel pri"ilege to $a"e ,een in an era $en Manela as stillaroun+

References

S$oemacker #+ H+ (>13 Hul& 4)+ !nowledge"#harton+ .etrie"e %rom !ni"ersit& o%

#enns&l"ania: $ttp:knolege+$arton+upenn+euarticlelasting8legac&8nelson8

manelas8e"olution8as8a8strategic8leaer

7ikipeia+ (n++)+ $nvictus %film&+ .etrie"e %rom 7ikipeia:

$ttps:en+ikipeia+orgikiIn"ictusJK>5%ilmK>4

7ikipeia+ (n++)+ Nelson Mandela+ .etrie"e %rom 7ikipeia:$ttps:en+ikipeia+orgiki'elsonJManela