Nelson Mandela was born on July 18,1918, into a royal family of the Xhosa-speaking Thembu tribe in the South African village of Mvezo,where his father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa (1880-1928) served as a chief. His mother, Nosekeni Fanny, was the third of Mphakanyiswa's four wives, who together bore him nine daughters and four sons. After the death of his father in 1927, 9-year-old Mandela was adopted by a high ranking Thembu regent who began grooming his young ward for a role within the tribal leadership.
The first in his family to receive a formal education, Mandela completed his primary studies at a local missionary school. He went on to attend the Clarkebury Boarding Institute and Headltown, a Methodist secondary school, where he excelled in boxing and track as well as academics. In 1939 Mandela entered the elite University of Fort Hare, the only Western-style higher learning institute for South African blacks at the time. The following year, he and other several students, including his friend and future business partner Oliver Tambo(1917-1993) were sent home for participating in a boycott against university policies.
The first in his family to receive a formal education, Mandela completed his primary studies at a local missionary school. He went on to attend the Clarkebury Boarding Institute and Headltown, a Methodist secondary school, where he excelled in boxing and track as well as academics. In 1939 Mandela entered the elite University of Fort Hare, the only Western-style higher learning institute for South African blacks at the time. The following year, he and other several students, including his friend and future business partner Oliver Tambo(1917-1993) were sent home for participating in a boycott against university policies.