Nelson Mandela was uninvolved in politics.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( [ mænˈdɛlə ] 18 July 1918 -- 5 December 2013 ) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary , politician , and philanthropist , who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 . Mandela was appointed President of the ANC 's Transvaal branch , rising to prominence for his involvement in the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People . uMkhonto we Sizwe ( abbreviated as MK , [ uˈmkʰonto we ˈsizwe ] , meaning `` Spear of the Nation '' ) was the armed wing of the African National Congress ( ANC ) , co-founded by Nelson Mandela in the wake of the Sharpeville massacre .