|
Year
|
Events
|
|
1918
|
Born Rolihlahla Mandela at Mvezo in the Transkei
|
|
1925
|
Attends primary school near Qunu (receives the name
‘Nelson’ from a teacher)
|
|
1930
|
Father dies.Entrusted to Thembu Regent Jongintaba
Dalindyebo at the age of 12
|
|
1934
|
Undergoes initiation; Attends Clarkebury Boarding
Institute in Engcobo
|
|
1937
|
Attends Healdtown, the Wesleyan College at Fort
Beaufort
|
|
1939
|
Enrols at the University College of Fort Hare, in Alice
|
|
1940
|
Expelled
|
|
1941
|
Escapes an arranged marriage; becomes a mine security
officer; starts articles at the law firm Witkin, Sidelsky & Eidelman
|
|
1942
|
Completes BA through the University of South Africa
(UNISA)
|
|
1942
|
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;
|
|
1953
|
Devises the M-Plan for the ANC’s future underground
operations
|
|
1955
|
Watches as the Congress of the People at Kliptown
adopts the Freedom Charter
|
|
1956
|
Arrested and later joins 155 others on trial for
teason. All are acquitted by 29 March 1961
|
|
1958
|
Divorces Evelyn Mase; Marries Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela
– they have two daughters: Zenani (1959) and Zindzi (1960)
|
|
1960
|
Sharpeville Massacre
|
|
|
A State of Emergency is imposed and he is among
thousands detained
|
|
|
The ANC is banned
|
|
1961
|
Goes underground; Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) is
formed
|
|
1962
|
Leaves the country for military training and to garner
support for the ANC
|
|
|
Returns to South Africa
|
|
|
Arrested near Howick in KwaZulu-Natal
|
|
|
Sentenced to five years in prison for incitement and
leaving the country without a passport
|
|
1963
|
Sent to Robben Island
|
|
|
Returned to Pretoria Local Prison
|
|
|
Pleads not guilty to sabotage in the Rivonia Trial
|
|
1964
|
James Kantor discharged and released
|
|
|
|
All except Rusty Bernstein are convicted and sentenced
to life
|
|
|
|
Arrives on Robben Island
|
|
|
1969
|
Thembekile is killed in a car accident
|
|
|
1982
|
Mandela, Sisulu, Raymond Mhlaba and Andrew Mlangeni and
later Ahmed Kathrada are sent to Pollsmoor Prison
|
|
|
1985
|
Rejects, through his daughter, Zindzi, South African
President PW Botha's offer to release him if he renounces violence
|
|
|
1985
|
Admitted to the Volks Hospital for prostate
surgery
|
|
|
|
Discharged from Volks Hospital and returned to
Pollsmoor Prison
|
|
|
1988
|
Admitted to Tygerberg Hospital where he is diagnosed
with tuberculosis
|
|
|
|
Admitted to Constantiaberg MediClinic
|
|
|
|
Moved to Victor Verster Prison in Paarl where he is
held for 14 months in a cottage
|
|
|
1990
|
ANC is unbanned
|
|
|
|
Elected ANC Deputy President
|
|
|
1993
|
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with President FW de
Klerk
|
|
|
1994
|
Votes for the first time in his life
|
|
|
|
Elected by Parliament as first president of a
democratic South Africa
|
|
|
|
Inaugurated as President of the Republic of South
Africa
|
|
|
|
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
|
Attends the installation of his grandson Mandla as
chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council
|
|
|
2008
|
Asks future generations to continue the fight for
social justice
|
|
|
|
Turns 90 years old
|
|
|
2009
|
Votes for the fourth time in his life; Attends the
inauguration of President Jacob Zuma on 9 May and witnesses Zuma's first
State of the Nation address; Turns 91
|
|
|
2010
|
Formally presented with the Fifa World Cup trophy
before it embarks on a tour of South Africa
|
|
|
|
His great-granddaughter Zenani is killed in a car
accident
|
|
|
|
Makes a surprise appearance at the final of the Fifa
World Cup in Soweto
|
|
|
|
Meets the South African and American football teams
that played in the Nelson Mandela Challenge match
|
|
|
2011
|
Admitted to hospital in Johannesburg. Discharged after
two nights
|
|
|
|
Votes in the local government elections
|
|
|
|
His book Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorised
Book of Quotations is launched
|
|
|
|
Visited at home by American First Lady Michelle Obama
and her daughters Sasha and Malia
|
|
|
|
Celebrates his 93rd birthday with his family in Qunu,
Eastern Cape
|
|
|
|
Officially counted in South Africa’s Census 2011
|
|
|
|
Spends Christmas with family in Qunu, Transkei
|
|
|
2012
|
Admitted to hospital
|
|
|
|
Discharged from hospital
|
|
|
|
Celebrates his 94th birthday with his family in Qunu,
Transkei
|
|
|
|
Admitted to hospital
|
|
|
|
Discharged from hospital
|
|
|
2013
|
Spends New Year’s Day with members of his family in
Johannesburg
|
|
|
|
Admitted to hospital
|
|
|
|
Discharged from hospital
|
|
|
|
Admitted to hospital
|
|
|
|
Discharged from hospital
|
|
|
|
Admitted to hospital
|
|
|
|
Spends his 95th birthday in hospital
|
|
|
|
Discharged from hospital
|
|
|
|
Passes away at home in Johannesburg
|
|
