On 16 December 1961 South Africa’s armed struggle was formally launched with a series of explosions in the name of Umkhonto weSizwe (Spear of the Nation).
Nelson Mandela was the first commander-in-chief of the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), the armed wing of the African National Congress.
On the same day, MK released its manifesto to announce the beginning of the armed struggle. You can view the manifesto here.