Historical Organization
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Details
Organization Timeline
The ANC and government sign the Groote Schuur Minute
📅 4 May 1990Mandela led the ANC delegation in talks with the government at Groote Schuur. The resulting minute committed both sides to work toward resolving the political conflict and established mechanisms...
Oliver Tambo returns to South Africa after decades in exile
📅 13 December 1990ANC President Oliver Tambo returned to South Africa after thirty years in exile. Mandela welcomed the leader who had sustained the organisation’s international work and leadership during the years...
Long Walk to Freedom is launched
📅 14 December 1994Mandela launched his autobiography in Johannesburg. Drawing on a prison manuscript and later collaboration with journalist Richard Stengel, the book made a movement history accessible to international...
Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s divorce is finalized
📅 13 March 1996After years of separation and intense public scrutiny, the marriage ended in divorce. Both were major anti-apartheid figures whose lives had been profoundly shaped by state repression, political...
Mandela marries Graça Machel on his 80th birthday
📅 18 July 1998Mandela and Mozambican educator and liberation figure Graça Machel married in a private ceremony in Johannesburg. Their partnership brought together two lives shaped by southern African liberation...
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission presents its first report
📅 29 October 1998Archbishop Desmond Tutu presented the TRC’s first report to Mandela. The report documented abuses by apartheid security forces and violations by liberation movements, including the ANC, and...
Mandela turns 90 and speaks about persistent poverty
📅 18 July 2008Mandela spent his 90th birthday in Qunu, his rural home, and urged wealthy people to share with those facing poverty. His comments acknowledged the gap between the democratic transition and material...
Mandela is discharged after treatment for a respiratory infection
📅 26 January 2011Mandela left hospital after a brief admission for an acute respiratory infection. The intense public attention to his health demonstrated the global symbolic weight attached to him, but his family and...
Mandela undergoes a procedure for an abdominal complaint
📅 25 February 2012Mandela was hospitalized for treatment of an abdominal complaint and discharged the following day. The brief episode prompted widespread concern and illustrated the boundary between public interest in...
Mandela is admitted for a lung infection
📅 8 December 2012Mandela was hospitalized for a lung infection and underwent treatment for gallstones during the admission. The illness recalled his earlier tuberculosis and the lasting physical costs of imprisonment....
Mandela returns home after hospitalization
📅 26 December 2012After nearly three weeks in hospital, Mandela was discharged to his home in Johannesburg to continue recovery. The return marked a move toward home-based care and a quieter life among family. Public...
Mandela is hospitalized for a recurrent lung infection
📅 27 March 2013Mandela was admitted to hospital for treatment of a recurrent lung infection and discharged on 6 April. The event made visible the lasting vulnerability produced by illness and age, challenging the...
Mandela is admitted to hospital for a lung infection
📅 8 June 2013Mandela was admitted to a Pretoria hospital and spent 87 days receiving treatment for a recurring lung infection. The period generated intense national and international attention. The family’s...
Mandela returns home after 87 days in hospital
📅 1 September 2013Mandela was discharged from hospital to his Johannesburg home, where he continued to receive intensive care. The transition placed his final months with family and carers, away from official duties....