Following the Sharpeville massacre in 1960 , the ANC leadership concluded that the methods of non-violence such as those utilised by Gandhi against the British Empire during their colonisation of India were not suitable against the Apartheid system . A military wing was formed in 1961 , called Umkhonto we Sizwe ( MK ) , meaning " Spear of the Nation " , with Mandela as its first leader . MK operations during the 1960s primarily involved targeting and sabotaging government facilities . Mandela was arrested in 1962 , convicted of sabotage in 1964 and sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island , along with Sisulu and other ANC leaders following the Rivonia Trial
Sharpeville massacre
Sharpeville massacre
History of the African National Congress