The life of
Nelson Mandela

An interactive look at key events in the revered statesman's extraordinary life

Before Mandela, a peaceful revolution seemed like a distant dream. After Mandela, we take a look at the events that shaped him, the ideals that made him and how he accomplished his dream for a harmonious, free and democratic future for South Africa.

"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal, which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die"
- Nelson Mandela, 1964

Revolutionary

After university Mandela joined the anti-apartheid African National Congress (ANC) in 1942. Two years later, he co-founded the ANC Youth League, which led to the ANC’s campaign of civil disobedience. On 5 Dec 1956, Mandela was among 156 political activists put on trial for treason.

They were acquitted four years later, in 1960, the same year that police killed 69 black protesters in the Sharpeville township massacre, convincing Mandela of the need for armed struggle. Also in 1960, the ANC was banned. Going underground, Mandela founded the armed wing of the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe (“Spear of the Nation”), known as MK. He received secret military training in Algeria. On his return, the MK started training members in bomb making. Mandela was charged with sabotage and given a life term in 1964.

Prisoner

Mandela was incarcerated on Robben Island for 18 of the 27 years he spent in prison, becoming a potent symbol against the regime. An international campaign against apartheid, focusing on freeing Mandela, was launched in 1980 by the ANC, with his second wife Winnie Mandela playing a key role.

Popular pressure led world leaders to tighten sanctions on South Africa, which pushed the country’s last white President, F W de Klerk, to lift the ban on the ANC in 1990. That same year, Mandela walked free from jail with Winnie holding his hand, her other fist raised in a clenched salute. Two years later, however, the couple separated on grounds of her adultery. They divorced in 1996 after almost 40 years of marriage.

President

It was during his time as President where Mandela made the most impact on his country’s future even though he only spent one term in office. He dismantled apartheid, achieved national reconciliation and heralded the birth of the “Rainbow Nation” with the Rugby World Cup in 1995. The video below is of the iconic moment when Mandela presented the winner’s trophy to Francois Piennar, captain of the South African Springboks.

Elder Statesman

Since stepping down in 1999 after one term, Mandela has stayed out of active politics. In 2005, he announced that he had lost his only surviving son to an AIDS-related illness, lending his clout to battling South Africa’s AIDS crisis. On his 80th birthday, Mandela married Graca Machel, the widow of the former president of Mozambique. He has also built relationships with his children from two previous marriages who suffered neglect during his political career and long incarceration.

On his 89th birthday, he formed The Elders, a group of leading world figures, to offer their expertise “to tackle some of the world’s toughest problems”.

In 2009, in a first for an individual, the United Nations declared July 18th (Mandela’s birthday), ‘Nelson Mandela International Day’.