Nelson Mandela Timeline

(July 18, 1918 – December 5, 2013)

Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, lawyer, and political leader who spent 27 years in prison for opposing racial segregation. After his release in 1990, he negotiated the peaceful end of apartheid and became South Africa's first Black president (1994–1999). He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and is celebrated worldwide as a symbol of reconciliation and human rights. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Early Life and Education

Birth of Nelson Mandela

Jul 18, 1918

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in the village of Mvezo in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Born into the Thembu royal family, his father Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa was a local chief. The name 'Rolihlahla' colloquially means 'troublemaker,' a fitting precursor to his revolutionary future.

Image source: Nelson Mandela

Begins school and receives the name Nelson

Jan 1, 1925

Around 1925, Mandela began primary school at a local mission school in Qunu. On his first day, his teacher gave him the English name 'Nelson,' as it was customary for African children to receive Christian names at school. This name would later become known around the world.

Death of Mandela's father

Jan 1, 1930

Mandela's father died around 1930 when Nelson was approximately nine years old. Following his father's death, Mandela was placed under the guardianship of Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the regent of the Thembu people, who became a significant figure in his upbringing.

Attends Fort Hare University

Jan 1, 1939 - Dec 31, 1940

In 1939, Mandela enrolled at the University of Fort Hare, the premier institution for black South Africans. He studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree but was expelled in 1940 after joining a student protest over poor food quality and campus policies, alongside his friend Oliver Tambo.

Moves to Johannesburg and completes studies by correspondence

Jan 1, 1941 - Dec 31, 1943

In 1941, Mandela fled an arranged marriage and moved to Soweto, Johannesburg, where he worked as a night watchman and studied law by correspondence through the University of South Africa. He completed his BA degree in 1943 and then began studying law at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Anti-Apartheid Activism

Joins the African National Congress

Jan 1, 1944

In 1944, Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa's principal liberation movement. He also helped found the ANC Youth League that same year, along with Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo, advocating for more radical forms of resistance against racial discrimination.

Image source: African National Congress

Launch of the Defiance Campaign

Jun 26, 1952 - Dec 31, 1952

The Defiance Campaign of 1952 was the first large-scale, multi-racial political campaign against apartheid laws. As volunteer-in-chief, Mandela traveled the country organizing civil disobedience against unjust laws. The campaign saw thousands deliberately break apartheid laws and significantly boosted ANC membership from roughly 20,000 to over 100,000.

Image source: Defiance Campaign

Opens South Africa's first black-owned law firm

Aug 1, 1953

In August 1953, Mandela and Oliver Tambo opened South Africa's first black law firm, Mandela and Tambo, in Johannesburg. The firm provided affordable legal counsel to black South Africans who otherwise had little access to legal representation under the oppressive apartheid system.

Adoption of the Freedom Charter

Jun 26, 1955

The Congress of the People, held in Kliptown on June 26, 1955, adopted the Freedom Charter, a visionary document outlining the principles of a free, democratic South Africa. Though Mandela was banned from attending due to government restrictions, he played a key role behind the scenes in organizing the event.

Image source: Freedom Charter

Treason Trial begins

Dec 5, 1956 - Mar 29, 1961

On December 5, 1956, Mandela and 155 other activists were arrested and charged with high treason. The trial dragged on for over four years before all defendants were acquitted in March 1961. During the trial, Mandela met his second wife Winnie Madikizela and emerged as a leading figure in the struggle.

Image source: 1956 Treason Trial

Sharpeville Massacre

Mar 21, 1960

On March 21, 1960, police opened fire on unarmed protesters in Sharpeville, killing 69 people. The massacre shocked the world and prompted the government to ban the ANC and other anti-apartheid organizations, pushing Mandela and others to reconsider their commitment to nonviolent resistance.

Image source: Sharpeville massacre

Founding of Umkhonto we Sizwe

Dec 16, 1961

On December 16, 1961, Mandela co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe ('Spear of the Nation'), the armed wing of the ANC. Having concluded that nonviolent methods were failing against escalating state violence, Mandela became its first commander, though he insisted on targeting infrastructure while avoiding loss of life.

Image source: UMkhonto we Sizwe

Secret trip across Africa for military training

Jan 1, 1962 - Jul 31, 1962

In early 1962, Mandela secretly left South Africa to attend the Pan-African Freedom Movement conference in Ethiopia and undergo guerrilla warfare training in Algeria and Morocco. He traveled under the alias David Motsamayi and raised funds and support for the ANC cause across Africa and in Britain.

Imprisonment

Arrest and sentencing to five years in prison

Aug 5, 1962 - Nov 7, 1962

On August 5, 1962, Mandela was arrested near Howick after 17 months underground, tipped off by informants. In November 1962 he was sentenced to five years in prison for leaving the country illegally and inciting workers to strike, beginning his long years behind bars.

Rivonia Trial begins

Jul 9, 1963 - Jun 12, 1964

The Rivonia Trial began in July 1963 after police raided the Liliesleaf farm and seized documents incriminating the ANC leadership. Mandela, already imprisoned, joined eight co-defendants facing charges of sabotage. At the trial's close in June 1964, he delivered his famous speech declaring democracy an ideal 'for which I am prepared to die.'

Sentenced to life imprisonment

Jun 12, 1964

On June 12, 1964, Mandela and seven co-accused were sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage. He was sent to Robben Island, where he would spend the next 18 years of his sentence performing hard labor in a limestone quarry and becoming known as Prisoner 46664.

International campaign for Mandela's release grows

Jan 1, 1970 - Dec 31, 1989

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, international pressure to free Mandela intensified. The song 'Free Nelson Mandela' (1984), concerts like Wembley's Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute (1988), sanctions campaigns, and UN resolutions made him the world's most famous political prisoner.

Image source: Free Nelson Mandela

Refuses conditional release offered by P.W. Botha

Feb 10, 1985

On February 10, 1985, State President P.W. Botha offered Mandela freedom if he renounced violence. Mandela refused, stating through his daughter Zindzi at a rally in Soweto that only a free man could negotiate, and that his freedom was inseparable from the freedom of his people.

Transferred to Victor Verster Prison

Dec 9, 1988

After recovering from tuberculosis contracted at Pollsmoor Prison, Mandela was transferred in December 1988 to Victor Verster Prison, where he lived in relative comfort in a warden's house. There, secret talks with the apartheid government began, laying groundwork for negotiations.

Image source: Drakenstein Correctional Centre

Presidency and Later Years

Release from prison

Feb 11, 1990

On February 11, 1990, after 27 years in prison, Mandela walked free from Victor Verster Prison, hand in hand with his wife Winnie. Broadcast live to millions worldwide, his release marked the beginning of the end of apartheid. He immediately committed himself to negotiating a peaceful transition to democracy.

Elected president of the ANC

Jul 5, 1991

At the ANC's first national conference held inside South Africa since its banning, Mandela was elected president of the organization on July 5, 1991, succeeding Oliver Tambo. He led the ANC into negotiations with the apartheid government over a democratic transition.

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

Oct 15, 1993

In October 1993, Mandela and F.W. de Klerk jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize for their work in peacefully ending apartheid and laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa. The award recognized the courage of both men in steering the country away from civil war.

Image source: List of Nobel Peace Prize laureates

First fully democratic election in South Africa

Apr 27, 1994 - Apr 29, 1994

From April 26-29, 1994, South Africa held its first multiracial democratic elections, in which citizens of all races could vote. Millions queued for hours, and the ANC won over 62% of the vote. April 27 is now celebrated annually as Freedom Day in South Africa.

Image source: 1994 South African general election

Inauguration as President of South Africa

May 10, 1994

On May 10, 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first Black president, taking office in Pretoria before dignitaries from around the world. His inauguration symbolized the birth of the 'Rainbow Nation' and the peaceful defeat of apartheid after centuries of racial oppression.

Image source: Presidency of Nelson Mandela

Establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Jan 1, 1995

Under Mandela's leadership, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was established in 1995 to document human rights abuses committed during apartheid. Its emphasis on truth-telling and amnesty in exchange for confession became a global model for post-conflict reconciliation.

Image source: Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)

South Africa wins the Rugby World Cup

Jun 24, 1995

On June 24, 1995, South Africa's Springboks won the Rugby World Cup on home soil. Mandela famously wore a Springbok jersey — once a symbol of white Afrikanerdom — while presenting the trophy to captain Francois Pienaar. The moment, immortalized in the film 'Invictus,' became an iconic gesture of national unity.

Image source: 1995 Rugby World Cup

Signs the new Constitution of South Africa

Dec 10, 1996

On December 10, 1996, Mandela signed South Africa's new constitution at Sharpeville. Widely regarded as one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, it enshrined equal rights, protections against discrimination, and the foundations of a constitutional democracy for all South Africans.

Image source: Constitution of South Africa

Steps down as president

Jun 16, 1999

After serving a single five-year term, Mandela voluntarily stepped down as president on June 16, 1999, handing power to Thabo Mbeki. His decision to relinquish office after one term set a powerful example of democratic leadership on a continent often marred by leaders clinging to power.

Founding of The Elders

Jul 18, 2007

On his 89th birthday, July 18, 2007, Mandela helped found The Elders, a group of independent global leaders including Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, and Kofi Annan, working together for peace and human rights worldwide. Mandela announced the group in Johannesburg, lending his moral authority to its mission.

Image source: The Elders (organization)

Mandela Day declared by the United Nations

Jul 18, 2010

In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly declared July 18 — Mandela's birthday — as International Nelson Mandela Day, first observed in 2010. People worldwide are asked to dedicate 67 minutes to community service, symbolizing the 67 years Mandela devoted to public service and the struggle for justice.

Image source: Mandela Day

Death of Nelson Mandela

Dec 5, 2013

Nelson Mandela died on December 5, 2013, at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg, at age 95, following a prolonged respiratory illness. His death prompted a ten-day period of national mourning and a memorial service attended by world leaders, with tens of thousands gathering to honor his legacy of forgiveness and freedom.

Image source: Death and state funeral of Nelson Mandela

Key Facts

Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, South Africa, and his original family name was Rolihlahla Mandela; 'Nelson' was given to him by a schoolteacher.
He co-founded the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League in 1944 and became a leading figure in the fight against apartheid.
Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years, most of them on Robben Island, before being released on February 11, 1990.
In 1993, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with F.W. de Klerk for peacefully ending apartheid and laying foundations for a democratic South Africa.
In 1994, Mandela became South Africa's first democratically elected Black president, serving until 1999, and championed national reconciliation.

Source

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