Timeline of Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela fought lifelong to free South Africa from the shackles of apartheid to a multi-racial democracy. On July 18, people mark Nelson Mandela International Day to remember him as a peace and reconciliation icon who bolded the struggle for global justice. This year, the theme, “It’s still in our hands to combat poverty and inequality,” resonates with Mandela’s lifelong commitment to social justice. Followings is the timeline of Nelson Mandela's life:

18 July 1918

Nelson Mandela, originally named Rolihlahla Mandela, was born in the village of Mvezo in the Transkei region, which was a British protectorate. His father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was a chief of the Thembu people, a subgroup of the Xhosa nation.

1938

Mandela was admitted to the University of Fort Hare, a black institution, but expelled two years later.

1944

Mandela along with other activists formed the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League following discontents with senior members of the ANC.

1948

The National Party came to power in South Africa and moved to impose apartheid, a system of strict racial segregation and white domination.

5 December 1956

Mandela was arrested at his home and charged with treason for calling a nonracial state in South Africa.

29 March 1961

Mandela and seven others were acquitted of treason. Fearing arrest, Mandela went underground.

5 August 1962

Mandela was arrested again after he returned to South Africa from a foreign trip. He was convicted of leaving the country illegally and other charges and was sentenced to five years in jail.

11 July 1963

Police raided the ANC headquarters in Rivonia, outside Johannesburg, and seized documents on the group’s plan for guerrilla warfare. So, the government charged Mandela and eight others with sabotage and conspiracy to topple the government. The Rivonia trial established Mandela’s central role in the struggle against apartheid.

12 June 1964

Mandela and seven others were sentenced to life in jail. Mandela was sent to Robben Island prison, which is seven miles off the coast of Cape Town, and he would be there for the next 18 years.

10 February 1985

South Africa’s president, PW Botha, offered to free Mandela if he renounces violence, but Mandela refused, replying that the government must first dismantle apartheid.
11 February 1990

Mandela was freed without conditions, ending 27 and a half years of imprisonment.

7 August 1990

The ANC suspended its guerrilla campaign against apartheid that started in the early 1960s.

15 October 1993

Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk share the Nobel Peace Prize "for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa."

27 April 1994

The ANC won more than 62 per cent of the vote, securing 252 of the 400 seats in parliament's National Assembly. Mandela became president without opposition.

1 June 2004

Mandela reduced public appearance to spend his time resting and writing. He contracted tuberculosis during his imprisonment, and he suffered from chronic lung problems.

5 December 2013

Mandela passed away. “Our nation has lost its greatest son,” President Jacob Zuma said in a televised address adding Mandela had died at 8:50 p.m. local time.