Historical Organization
Nelson Mandela Foundation
Nelson Mandela Foundation
Details
Organization Timeline
Mandela leaves the presidency and turns to post-presidential public service
📅 16 June 1999Thabo Mbeki succeeded Mandela following the 1999 election. Mandela kept his promise not to seek a second term, creating a precedent for democratic succession. In 1999 he established the Nelson Mandela...
Mandela helps secure the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Burundi
📅 28 August 2000As facilitator after the death of Julius Nyerere, Mandela helped bring Burundian political actors to the negotiating table. The agreement addressed power-sharing, political transition and the causes...
Mandela calls for expanded treatment access at the Barcelona AIDS conference
📅 12 July 2002At the 14th International AIDS Conference, Mandela urged leaders to treat HIV/AIDS as a public health and human rights crisis and pressed for access to affordable treatment. His advocacy connected...
Mandela launches the 46664 HIV/AIDS awareness campaign
📅 21 October 2003Named for his Robben Island prisoner number, 46664 used music, public events and communications to challenge HIV stigma and raise awareness. Mandela urged audiences to see AIDS as a human rights issue...
The first 46664 concert is held in Cape Town
📅 29 November 2003The first 46664 concert brought musicians and tens of thousands of attendees together at Green Point Stadium to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. Mandela used the event to insist that silence and shame...
Mandela announces he is stepping back from public life
📅 1 June 2004At 85, Mandela announced that he would reduce public appearances and spend more time with his family. He joked, “Don’t call me, I’ll call you,” while continuing to support causes through the...
Mandela publicly names AIDS as the cause of his son Makgatho’s death
📅 6 January 2005At a press conference after Makgatho’s death, Mandela said his son had died of AIDS-related illness and urged families not to hide the disease. The disclosure challenged stigma in a country where...
The Elders are launched as an independent group of global leaders
📅 18 July 2007Mandela helped launch the Elders, a group of leaders intended to work on peace, justice and human rights outside formal office. The initiative reflected his post-presidential role as an advocate and...
Mandela calls on younger generations to continue the struggle for justice
📅 27 June 2008In a recorded message marking his 90th birthday, Mandela told younger generations that the work of justice remained unfinished. The message linked his biography to future organizing against poverty,...
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...
The United Nations proclaims Nelson Mandela International Day
📅 10 November 2009The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 64/13, recognizing Mandela’s contribution to peace and freedom and declaring 18 July an international day. The resolution encouraged service to others and...
Conversations with Myself is published
📅 11 November 2010The book assembled Mandela’s letters, diary entries, notes and recorded conversations, presenting a less polished record alongside his public speeches. It gave readers access to uncertainty,...
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’s 95th birthday is marked as a day of service
📅 18 July 2013While Mandela remained in hospital, South Africans and people elsewhere marked his birthday through acts of community service. The “67 minutes” tradition referenced the years he spent in public...
South Africa holds a national memorial service for Mandela
📅 10 December 2013The national memorial took place at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, attended by South Africans and representatives from around the world. Public tributes drew on Mandela’s global symbolism while local...
A statue of Mandela is unveiled at the Union Buildings
📅 16 December 2013A bronze statue was unveiled at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, a day after his burial. The location places Mandela within the state’s official memory at the site where he was inaugurated in 1994....