When Mandela arrived in Johannesburg in 1941, the city was vibrant, and he made friends who later joined him in fighting oppression. Starting as a night watchman in a gold mine, Mandela saw it as a symbol of white oppression. His ultimate goal was to become a lawyer, and his cousin introduced him to Walter Sisulu, a friend with whom Mandela faced hardships.

Sisulu, running a real estate agency for Africans, helped Mandela secure a clerk position in a law firm while studying law at the University of South Africa. Gaur Radebe, Mandela’s colleague and an ANC member, introduced him to the African National Congress (ANC), founded in 1912 for African citizenship rights.

In 1943, Mandela actively participated in a bus boycott against rising fares, marking his first taste of political activism. He befriended activists like Tony O’Dowd, Harold Wolpe, and Communist Party members, crucial connections in his later struggle against apartheid.