In November, Nelson Mandela, ANC leader imprisoned for life on Robben Island, was awarded the 1979 Nehru Award by the government of India.
The award, worth $12 000, is for outstanding contributions to international understanding and was made to Mandela, stated India's Vice-President, for his contribution to the liberation struggle.
In September Mandela was awarded an honorary law degree by the University of Lesotho. In the same month Dr. Owen, former British Foreign Secretary on a private visit to South Africa was refused permission to visit Mandela. Mandela was, however, visited by the Minister of Prisons. In November, Mandela spent a day at Woodstock Hospital, Cape Town, for a minor surgical operation.
The Methodist Church of South Africa at its annual conference in October, called for the release of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners, and an amnesty for all those forced into exile.
