Interesting Facts About Nelson Mandela

By Julian Kamau

It is a bitter sweet moment for the World as Nelson Mandela marks the turn of another year, even as he spends another week in hospital. As the world celebrates the icon though, we ask how much you know about Mandela.

Did you know for example that his birth name is Rolihlahla which means, to pull a branch of a tree or troublemaker.   From early on, Mandela was considered a trouble maker, especially after he refused to marry a bride selected for him to go off into Jo’burg to study law. His friends say part of the reason he refused to marry the girl was because she wasn’t a looker.

Mandela is a man of many talents and loved to box. In fact, he picked it up while living with his then mentor, Walter Susulu to keep fit, and later, developed a liking for ballroom dancing, which he was first introduced to him at fort Hare University, in the Eastern Cape

He had a blossoming relationship with his first wife Winnie Mandela. Anecdotes of how he met Winnie suggest they hit it off immediately and he later taught her how to drive. On their first date, Winnie says Mandela seemed to enjoy curry so much she later learnt how to make it. While in prison, Mandela wrote a letter to a friend thanking him for teaching him to eat and enjoy curry.