This document discusses Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa. It outlines that he was born in 1918 in South Africa and educated at University College of Fort Hare. Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1944 and fought against apartheid policies. He was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting to overthrow the government. After being released in 1990, Mandela worked to abolish apartheid and was elected president in 1994, becoming the first black leader of South Africa.