By the late 1960s , Mandela 's fame had been eclipsed by Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement ( BCM ) . Seeing the ANC as ineffectual , the BCM called for militant action , but following the Soweto uprising of 1976 , many BCM activists were imprisoned on Robben Island . Mandela tried to build a relationship with these young radicals , although he was critical of their racialism and contempt for white anti-apartheid activists . Renewed international interest in his plight came in July 1978 , when he celebrated his 60th birthday . He was awarded an honorary doctorate in Lesotho , the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in India in 1979 , and the Freedom of the City of Glasgow , Scotland in 1981 . In March 1980 , the slogan " Free Mandela ! " was developed by journalist Percy Qoboza , sparking an international campaign that led the UN Security Council to call for his release . Despite increasing foreign pressure , the government refused , relying on its Cold War allies US President Ronald Reagan and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ; both considered Mandela 's ANC a terrorist organisation sympathetic to communism , and supported its suppression
Soweto uprising
Soweto uprising
Nelson Mandela