What nickname did Nelson Mandela use while evading arrest in South Africa in the early 1960s?

Nelson Mandela used the nickname “The Black Pimpernel” while evading arrest in South Africa in the early 1960s.

The name referred to his ability to move secretly around the country while organizing resistance to apartheid. It echoed the fictional Scarlet Pimpernel, a character famous for rescuing people and escaping pursuit. Mandela adopted disguises and traveled under assumed identities during this period, making him difficult for the authorities to capture.

Mandela had gone underground after the African National Congress was banned and after the government intensified its campaign against anti-apartheid activists. He helped establish Umkhonto we Sizwe in 1961, and his clandestine activities made him one of the apartheid state’s most wanted opponents.

The nickname should not be confused with “Madiba,” Mandela’s Xhosa clan name and a later honorific widely used by South Africans. “The Black Pimpernel” specifically describes his underground period before his arrest near Howick in August 1962. He was later sentenced to prison for incitement and leaving the country illegally.