Mandela developed his inner strength and political judgement through all his years in jail; and his letters to his family show how consistently he retained his self- control and self-respect, and exerted his authority over the warders themselves.
In any case, the law and reality often differ: despite being forbidden from striking, prison warders walked out in 2007 over a pay dispute.
Through his intelligence and charm Mandela assumed leadership over not only his jailed comrades but also over many of the warders to whom he was unfailingly courteous but uncowed.
Warders, officially titled "gallery assistants", previously oversaw one room but are now required to watch over two.
She taught a mixture of children; some of their fathers were "over the wall" and some of them were prison warders.
Even those who have given themselves over to nazism to the extent that they are warders in Plötzenzee prison, supervising prisoners on death row, are still able to do good rather than evil: "They [the warders] had all agreed not to tell the kind, hardworking woman about the death of her husband.
Still, Seventh Ward pride runs strong: a few weeks ago, residents woke to find cardboard posters nailed to telephone poles and trees all over the neighborhood, bearing the likenesses of famous Seventh Warders: Mahalia Jackson, A. P. Tureaud, Leah Chase, Dorothy Mae Taylor, and others.
The warders, who staff the London museum's public spaces during opening hours, are staging the strike over attempts to impose changes to their holiday entitlement.
I used to see many museum visitors lean over the low railings round it and steal a quick touch, while the warders kindly turned a blind eye.
One of the prison warders told me".
