Important Events

of

Nelson Mandila

1952 Mandela leads the Defiance Campaign, encouraging people to break

racial separation laws. Convicted under Suppression of Communism Act,
banned from attending gatherings and leaving Johannesburg. Passes
exam to qualify as an attorney and, with Tambo, forms the first black law
partnership in the country.

APRIL 20, Charged with sabotage, Mandela delivered a statement during his trial in
1964 Pretoria that revealed the depth of his resolve in the fight against apartheid
and his willingness to lay down his life in an effort to end white racist rule.

While in hospital for prostate surgery he is visited by Justice Minister Kobie

1985
Coetsee, the beginning of a political and diplomatic process that will lead
on Dec. 9, 1988, to his transfer to better prison conditions on the mainland,
north of Cape Town.

Mandela walked out of South Africa’s Victor Verster prison near Cape Town
FEB. 11, 1990 after 27 years in captivity, holding hands with his wife, Winnie. He held up
his fist and smiled broadly. Mandela’s release after so long was almost
inconceivable for deliriously happy supporters who erupted in cheers as
hundreds of journalists pressed forward. The world watched the electrifying
occasion live on television. Because of Mandela’s decades-long
confinement, few people knew what he looked like or had seen a recent
photograph. Mandela said he was astounded by the reception.

JULY 11, A smiling Mandela waved to the crowd at the Soccer City stadium at the
closing ceremony of the World Cup, whose staging in South Africa allowed
2010
the country, and the continent, to shine on one of the world’s biggest
stages. Mandela appeared frail as he was driven in a golf cart alongside his
wife, Graca Machel.
Mandela had kept a low profile during the month-long tournament,
deciding against attending the opener June 11 after the death of his great-
grand daughter in a traffic accident following a World Cup concert.
The former president did not address the crowd on that emotional day in
the stadium. It was his last public appearance.