nelson mandela

noun

1. Nelson (Ro·lih·lah·la) [raw-lee-lah-luh] /ˌrɔ liˈlɑ lə/, 1918–2013, South African black antiapartheid activist: president of South Africa 1994–99.

noun

1. Nelson (Rolihlahla). born 1918, Black South African statesman: president of South Africa (1994–99). Jailed in 1962 for 5 years and, in 1964, for life, he was released in 1990 after a long international campaign; deputy president of the African National Congress (1990–91) and president (1991–97); elected president of South Africa in 1994; Nobel peace prize jointly with F. W. de Klerk in 1993
2. (Numzano) Winnie . born 1934, Black South African political activist: campaigned for the release of her husband Nelson Mandela; they divorced in 1996