Did you know that Nelson Mandela Fled an Arranged Marriage to Johannesburg.

Did you know that Nelson Mandela Fled an Arranged Marriage to Johannesburg.

Did you know that Nelson Mandela Fled an Arranged Marriage to Johannesburg.

While history remembers Mandela moving to Johannesburg to launch his legal and political career, his initial arrival in the big city was actually an escape from an arranged marriage forced upon him by his guardian, King Jongintaba Dalindyebo.

Following the passing away of his biological father, Mandela was raised as a ward of the Thembu royal court. In 1940, after Mandela was expelled from the University College of Fort Hare for participating in a student boycott, King Jongintaba was furious. Believing that discipline and marriage would tame the young prince, the King arranged for Mandela and his cousin, Justice, to marry two local women selected for them.

Refusing to yield to a life chosen for him, Mandela and Justice stole two of the King’s cattle, sold them to a local trader to raise funds, and fled in secret to Johannesburg in 1941.

This act of defiance forced Mandela into the working-class urban environment where he took on jobs as a mine security guard and law clerk, ultimately joining the African National Congress (ANC) and setting his political path in motion.

Lesson: Take the bull by the horn. Never be afraid of what life throws at you.