At RootsTech 2025, Ndaba Mandela shared his unique experiences as the grandson of Nelson Mandela. After his release from prison, Nelson Mandela took Ndaba into his home to help raise him. These years spent with his grandfather changed Ndaba forever, shaping who he would become and changing the course of his life.
Ndaba has since gone on to continue Nelson Mandela’s legacy. His book Going to the Mountain: Lessons from My Grandfather shares Ndaba's personal stories about his grandfather. He says he wrote the book “to share the lessons that he taught me about leadership—those lessons should be known by everybody.” He has also founded the Mandela Institute of Humanity, the Africa Rising Foundation, and the Mandela Project, along with many other efforts to keep Nelson Mandela’s work alive, to serve his nation, and to raise up the next generation.
Who Is Nelson Mandela?
Nelson Mandela is a key figure in recent history, serving as a symbol of hope and change in South Africa, but also across the world. He was an activist and leader from the 1940s up until his death in 2013.
In his early days, Mandela led protests, strikes, and other efforts to bring about change, opposing racial bias and segregation laws in South Africa.
He was arrested multiple times and was eventually given a life sentence in 1964. Over the next 26 years, Nelson Mandela was moved between different prisons. It wasn’t until 1990, when President Botha stepped down, that he was released. Thousands flooded the streets to celebrate his release. In the years that followed, Nelson Mandela would go on to become South Africa’s first elected president. Even after his presidency, he continued to serve his country and his people.
Ndaba Mandela’s Virtual Keynote at RootsTech 2025
Ndaba Mandela shared his experiences in a virtual presentation at RootsTech 2025, highlighting his memories of his grandfather and the important life lessons Ndaba learned from him. With the help of his grandfather, he became an activist and leader in his own right, accepting a responsibility to lead the next generation into a brighter future.
Nelson Mandela’s Sacrifice and Family Reunion
In his fight against oppression, Nelson Mandela made a personal sacrifice, leaving his wife and kids at home. Ndaba says, “That’s what a lot of people don’t understand, that he left his . . . wife and 2 kids when his son was 4 years old to go and fight for the freedom of the nation.”
Nelson Mandela's first son later died while his father was still in prison. Ndaba reflects on how this affected his grandfather, saying the “guilt that had been pent up in him for missing fatherhood” haunted his grandfather.
Ndaba himself didn’t get to meet his grandfather until he was 7 or 8. When his grandfather was released, Ndaba joined the throngs in the streets, and he started to understand how important his grandfather was. He says, “I began to realize my grandfather was a larger-than-life character,” thinking “my grandfather is the biggest human being in the world.”
Ndaba later moved in with his grandfather, who taught him by example and shared many valuable life lessons. After his grandfather’s passing, Ndaba says he appreciates now more than before the photos of his son with his grandfather. “Because my son got to spend time with him, my son has memories with him.”
The Legacy of Our Ancestors
“I have been very lucky to have been taught by my elders about our genealogy,” says Ndaba, reflecting on the heritage of his family. Both he and Nelson Mandela are also known as Madiba, a name all men in their clan carry. Their clan is part of the Thembu kingdom, and they traditionally serve a specific role as mediators and counselors.
With this heritage and his personal legacy, Nelson Mandela encouraged Ndaba to be the best he could, warning him that people would look to him as a leader. At the time, Ndaba bemoaned the pressure. But in time he came to understand.
He says, “The community, they see you in a certain light, whether you like it or not. You have to stand up to that light. And the way they see you is really as a leader, as a beacon of hope, as a person who can bring opportunity, as a person who can change their life, as a person who can contribute in an unlimited way in whatever dreams and hopes they have. . . . A leader actually is not about being the best. It’s not about being the one. A leader is about serving your community.”
The Youth—A Beacon of Hope
Nelson Mandela cherished children more than anything else and would drop everything to pay full attention to them. In his time in jail, he missed nothing more than the sounds of children.
Ndaba says, “And what does the sound of children represent? Hope to create a better world. That’s one thing that he always reminded the young people, that you are the leaders of tomorrow.”
Ndaba focuses many of his efforts on the youth, bringing awareness of his grandfather to them so the next generation can learn from him as well.
He encourages the youth to dream, saying “I want you to dream so big that your dreams scare you. If your dreams don’t scare you, you are not dreaming big enough.”
Ndaba’s Closing Statements: Climbing Mountains
In life, you must climb mountains to achieve your goals, but what about the mountains your ancestors climbed? Their efforts got you here. Ndaba says, “Those are the mountains that you also have to give acknowledgment to. Because without those ancestors who have climbed those great hills and great mountains to get you to where you are, where would you be today?”
Ndaba ends his keynote at RootsTech by encouraging people to recognize everything that has come before us, paving the way for who we are now. “Who [are] our grandparents? Where do we come from? What is our genealogy? Because that is also . . . part of what makes us great.”
What Is RootsTech?
RootsTech is a place to learn, be inspired, and make connections through family history. Hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by other leading genealogy organizations, we have hundreds of expert classes, tips and tricks videos, and inspiring stories that can help you experience family history like never before. Visit our on-demand learning library, or make plans to join us for our next virtual or in-person conference event.
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