Intimate look into Madiba's life

IN THE documentary , Madiba: The Life and Times of Nelson Mandela, Mandela talks of his love of children and his family, and how apartheid and the struggle against it affected him. He speaks of facing the death sentence, how he survived prison, won over his enemies and overcame prejudice. He also speaks about the pain of his marriage to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, with whom he had two daughters.

IN THE documentary , Madiba: The Life and Times of Nelson Mandela, Mandela talks of his love of children and his family, and how apartheid and the struggle against it affected him. He speaks of facing the death sentence, how he survived prison, won over his enemies and overcame prejudice. He also speaks about the pain of his marriage to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, with whom he had two daughters.

In an interview, Madikizela-Mandela talks about her first meeting with Mandela, the last time they were home together, and how she survived torture and scandal. Other features include interviews with Nobel Prize winners Nadine Gordimer and FW de Klerk, Robben Island co-prisoners Ahmed Kathrada, Mac Maharaj and Tokyo Sexwale, Mandela biographers Alister Sparks, Anthony Sampson and Charlene Smith and Madiba's friends and family.

In his director's notes, Robin Benger, director and producer of the documentary, says: "There is a way to overcome great loneliness and marginalisation, to bring freedom and justice and liberation to millions of people who don't have it. That's what Nelson Mandela did. This documentary is an attempt to show what happened."

• 'Madiba: The Life and Times of Nelson Mandela' airs on DStv's History Channel 254 at 5.50pm tonight