Mandela timeline

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  • Born

    Nelson Mandela's birth name is Rolihlahla Mandela

  • Goes to primary school

    Mandela attends primary school near Qunu. Here a teacher gives him the name "Nelson".

  • Father died

    His father died, and he became ward of Jongintaba at the Great Place in Mqhekezweni.

  • Attends Clarkebury Boarding Institute in Engcobo

  • Goes to Healdtown a Wesleyan college at Fort Beaufort

  • Enrolls at the University College of Fort Hare

  • Expelled from University

  • Escapes an arranged marriage

  • Begins to attend ANC(African National Congress) meetings formally

  • Co-founds the ANC Youth Leauge, Marries Evelyn Mtoko Mase

  • Elected National Secretary of the ANCYL

  • Elected President of the ANCYL

  • 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; Opens South Africa’s first black law firm with Oliver Tambo

  • Freedom Charter

    Watches as the Congress of the People at Kliptown adopts the Freedom Charter

  • Arrested

    Arrested and later joins 155 others on trial for teason. All are acquitted by 29 March 1961

  • Divorces Evelyn Mase

    Divorces Evelyn Mase; Marries Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela – they have two daughters: Zenani (1959) and Zindzi (1960)

  • Sharpeville Massacre

  • The ANC is banned

  • Goes underground

    Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) is formed

  • 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

  • Sent to Robben Island

  • Mandela, Sisulu, Raymond Mhlaba and Andrew Mlangeni and later Ahmed Kathrada are sent to Pollsmoor Prison

  • Rejects, through his daughter, Zindzi, South African President PW Botha's offer to release him if he renounces violence

  • Admitted to Tygerberg Hospital where he is diagnosed with tuberculosis

  • Released

  • Elected ANC Deputy President

  • ANC is unbanned

  • Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with President FW de Klerk

  • Elected by Parliament as first president of a democratic South Africa

  • Establishes the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund

  • Divorces Winnie Mandela

  • Marries Graça Machel on his 80th birthday

  • Steps down after one term as President, establishes the Nelson Mandela Foundation

  • Announces that he will be stepping down from public life

  • Announces that his eldest son Makgatho had died of AIDS

  • Asks future generations to continue the fight for social justice

  • His great-granddaughter Zenani is killed in a car accident

  • Formally presented with the Fifa World Cup trophy before it embarks on a tour of South Africa

  • Passes away at home in Johannesburg