Timeline: Nelson Mandela's life
Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa in 1994. A symbol of global peacemaking, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Here is a timeline of key events during Mandela's life:
July 18, 1918 - Born Rolihlahla Mandela at Mvezo in the Transkei
1925 - Attends primary school near Qunu (receives the name ‘Nelson’ from a teacher)
1939 - Enrols at the University College of Fort Hare, in Alice
1940 - Expelled
1941 - Escapes an arranged marriage; becomes a mine night watchman; Starts articles at the law firm Witkin, Sidelsky & Eidelman
1942 - Completes BA through the University of South Africa (UNISA); Begins to attend African National Congress (ANC) meetings informally
1943 - Graduates with BA from Fort Hare; Enrols for an LLB at Wits University
1944 - Co-founds the ANC Youth League (ANCYL); marries Evelyn Ntoko Mase – they have four children: Thembekile (1945); Makaziwe (1947 – who dies after nine months); Makgatho (1950); Makaziwe (1954)
1948 - Elected national secretary of the ANCYL
1951 - Elected President of the ANCYL
1952 - Defiance Campaign begins; Arrested and charged for violating the Suppression of Communism Act; Elected Transvaal ANC President; Convicted with J.S Moroka, Walter Sisulu and 17 others under the Suppression of Communism Act; Sentenced to nine months imprisonment with hard labour, suspended for two years; Elected first of ANC deputy presidents; Opens South Africa’s first black law firm with Oliver Tambo
1953 - Devises the M-Plan for the ANC’s future underground operations
1955 - Watches as the Congress of the People at Kliptown launches the Freedom Charter
1956 - Arrested and joins 155 others on trial for Treason. All are acquitted by March 29, 1961
1958 - Divorces Evelyn Mase; Marries Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela – they have two daughters: Zenani (1959) and Zindzi (1960)
March 30, 1960 - A State of Emergency imposed and he is among thousands detained
April 8, 1960 - The ANC is banned
1961 - Goes underground; Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) is formed
January 11, 1962 - Leaves the country for military training and to garner support for the ANC
August 5, 1962 - Arrested near Howick in KwaZulu-Natal; Sentenced to five years for incitement and leaving the country illegally
May 27, 1963- Sent to Robben Island
June 12, 1963 - Returned to Pretoria Local Prison
October, 1963 - Charged for sabotage in the Rivonia trial with nine others
June 11, 1964 - All except Rusty Bernstein and James Kantor are convicted and sentenced (June 12) to life
July 13, 1969 – Mandela’s son, Thembekile is killed in a car accident
March 31, 1982 - Sent to Pollsmoor Prison
1985 - Rejects South African President PW Botha's offer to release him if he renounces violence
November 3, 1985 - Has prostate surgery
August 12, 1988 - Admitted to Tygerberg Hospital and is diagnosed with Tuberculosis
December 7, 1988 - Moved to Victor Verster Prison in Paarl. He was held for 14 months in a cottage
February 2, 1990 - ANC is unbanned
February 11, 1990 - Released from prison
March 2, 1990 - Elected ANC Deputy President
December 10, 1993 - Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with FW de Klerk
April 27, 1994 - Votes for the first time in his life
May 9, 1994 - Elected by Parliament as first president of a democratic South Africa
May 10, 1994 - Inaugurated as President of the Republic of South Africa
December 14, 1994 - Launches his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom
1995 - Establishes the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
1996 - Divorces Winnie Mandela
1998 - Marries Graça Machel on his 80th birthday
1999 - Steps down after one term as president, establishes the Nelson Mandela Foundation
2001 - Diagnosed with prostate cancer
2003 - Establishes the Mandela Rhodes Foundation
2004 - Announces that he will be stepping down from public life
2005 - Announces that his eldest son, Makgatho, had died of AIDS
2007 - Witnesses the installation of his grandson Mandla as chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council
2010 - Is formally presented with the FIFA World Cup trophy before it embarks on a tour of South Africa
June 11, 2010 - His great-granddaughter, Zenani, is killed in a car accident
July 11, 2010 - Makes a surprise appearance at the Final of the FIFA World Cup in Soweto
October, 2010 - His second book, Conversations with Myself is published
January, 2011 - Is admitted to hospital in Johannesburg where he was diagnosed with a chest infection. He is discharged after two nights
May 16, 2011 - Votes in the local government elections
June, 2011 - His book Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorized Book of Quotations is published
June 21, 2011 - Is visited at home by American First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters Sasha and Malia
December 5, 2013 - Nelson Mandela dies
(Courtesy nelsonmandela.org)
