Historical Organization
South African Department of Prisons
South African Department of Prisons
Details
Organization Timeline
Prison authorities refuse Mandela permission to instruct lawyers
📅 7 October 1976Mandela later recorded that he asked the Robben Island commanding officer for permission to instruct lawyers to begin legal proceedings against the Department of Prisons. The request was refused on...
Mandela is admitted to hospital for prostate surgery
📅 3 November 1985Mandela was admitted to Volks Hospital in Cape Town for prostate surgery. His treatment placed him in a civilian hospital but under guard, with prison and state officials retaining control over...
Mandela takes his first supervised drive through Cape Town in 22 years
📅 24 December 1986Deputy prison commander Gawie Marx invited Mandela to see Cape Town. Mandela later described the drive as a striking encounter with ordinary life after decades of confinement; at one point Marx left...
Mandela is admitted to Tygerberg Hospital and diagnosed with tuberculosis
📅 12 August 1988Mandela was admitted to Tygerberg Hospital and diagnosed with tuberculosis. His illness exposed the bodily cost of prolonged imprisonment and the dependence of a political prisoner on state-managed...
Mandela transfers to Constantiaberg MediClinic for treatment
📅 31 August 1988Mandela was transferred to Constantiaberg MediClinic after receiving treatment at Tygerberg Hospital. He remained under prison guard while recovering from tuberculosis. His medical care therefore took...
Mandela moves from hospital to Victor Verster Prison
📅 7 December 1988Mandela was moved to Victor Verster Prison near Paarl and held in a house on the prison grounds. The Nelson Mandela Foundation’s prison chronology dates the transfer to 7 December 1988; an abridged...