Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected president of post apartheid South Africa died at home last night – 5 December 2013 at around 10 minutes to 9:00 pm.
He had been receiving intensive medical care at home for a lung infection after spending three months in hospital.
Announcing the news on South African national TV, President Jacob Zuma said Mr Mandela was at peace.
“Our nation has lost its greatest son,” Mr Zuma said.
“Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss.”
Zuma said that Nelson Rolihlala Mandela – who is known affectionately by his clan name, Madiba – had died shortly before 21:00 on 5 December 2013. He said he would receive a full state funeral, and flags would be flown at half-mast.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, born in Qunu, Transkei, South Africa on 18 July 1918, is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in fully representative democratic elections. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress and its armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. He spent 27 years in prison, much of it on Robben Island, convicted for crimes that included sabotage committed while he spearheaded the struggle against apartheid.
Among opponents of apartheid in South Africa and internationally, Nelson Mandela became a symbol of freedom and equality, while the apartheid government and nations sympathetic to it condemned him and the ANC as communists and terrorists and the United States still list him as a terrorist.
Following his release from prison on February 11, 1990, his switch to a policy of reconciliation and negotiation helped lead the transition to multi-racial democracy in South Africa. Since the end of apartheid, he has been widely praised, even by former opponents.
Nelson Mandela has received more than one hundred awards over four decades, most notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, which he shared with former South African President F.W. De Klerk. Mandela is currently a celebrated elder statesman who continues to voice his opinion on topical issues. In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela’s clan. The title has come to be synonymous with Nelson Mandela.
Mandela has frequently credited Mahatma Gandhi for being a major source of inspiration in his life, both for the philosophy of non-violence and for facing adversity with dignity.
Port Elizabeth, along with Uitenhage and Despatch forms part on the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, named after Madiba.
MyPE has always followed an ethos as espoused by Nelson Mandela when he said the following during the Rivonia trial: “I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” ~ Nelson Mandela
The life of Nelson Mandela, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president of South Africa:
Personal:
- Birth date: July 18, 1918
- Birth place: Mvezo, Transkei, South Africa.
- Birth name: Rolihlahla Dalibhunga Mandela
- Father: Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, a counselor to the royal house of the Thembu tribe
- Mother: Nosekeni Fanny Mandela
- Marriages: Graca (Machel) Mandela (July 18, 1998 – present); “Winnie” (Madikizela) Mandela (1958 – 1996, divorce); Evelyn (Ntoko) Mandela (1944 – 1958, divorce)
- Children: with Winnie Mandela: Zindzi, 1960 and Zenani, 1959; with Evelyn Mandela: Makaziwe, 1953; Makgatho, 1950 – January 6, 2005; Makaziwe, 1947 – 1948; Thembekile, 1946 – 1969
- Education: University of South Africa, law degree, 1942
Other Facts:
- He was given the name Nelson by a school teacher. He is also sometimes called Madiba, his traditional clan name.
- Mandela has been called both “the world’s most famous political prisoner” and “South Africa’s Great Black Hope.”
Timeline:
- 1941-1943 – Mandela meets Walter Sisulu who helps him get a job at the law firm of Witkin, Sidelsky, and Eidelman.
- 1944 – Joins the African National Congress and helps found the ANC Youth League.
- 1951 – Becomes president of the ANC Youth League.
- 1952 – Opens the first black law partnership in South Africa with friend Oliver Tambo.
- 1952 – Leads the newly launched [ANC] Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws, a program of nonviolent mass resistance.
- 1952, July – Mandela is charged with violating the Suppression of Communism Act.
- 1956, 5 December – Mandela is among 156 resistance leaders arrested and charged with high treason.
- 1960, 21 March – In Sharpeville, police fire upon protestors challenging apartheid laws; 69 people are killed.
- 1960, 8 April – The ANC is banned nine days after Mandela is arrested and the government imposes a state of emergency after the events in Sharpeville.
- 1961, 29 March – Mandela and all co-defendants are found not guilty of treason.
- 1961, June – Mandela begins organizing the armed struggle against apartheid Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nations). He travels in Africa and Europe studying guerrilla warfare.
- 1962, 5 August – Is arrested on charges of inciting workers to strike and leaving the country without valid travel documents. Mandela represents himself at trial.
- 1962, 7 November – Is sentenced to prison, five years hard labor.
- 1964, 12 June – Is sentenced to life in prison for four counts of sabotage. Convicted and sentenced with Mandela are Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada, Govan Mbeki, Denis Goldberg and others.
- 1980 – The Johannesburg Sunday Post leads a campaign to free Mandela. A petition demanding his and other ANC prisoners’ release is printed in the newspaper.
- 1982- Is transferred to Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison after 18 years on Robben Island.
- 1988 – Is transferred to Victor Verster Prison.
- 1989, 5 July – Meets with President P.W. Botha.
- 1989, 15 August – Botha resigns as president and head of the National Party. F.W. de Klerk replaces him and begins dismantling apartheid.
- 1989, 13 December – Mandela and de Klerk meet for the first time.
- 1990, 11 February – Mandela is released from prison after more than 27 years.
- 1990 – Embarks on a world tour, visiting Margaret Thatcher, the U.S. Congress, and U.S. President George H.W. Bush.
- 1991, July – Mandela is elected president of the ANC.
- 1993 – Mandela and de Klerk share the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 1994, 29 April – Elected the first black president of the Republic of South Africa in the first open election in the country’s history.
- 1994, 10 May – Mandela is inaugurated.
- 1999, June – Mandela leaves office.
- 1999 – Establishes the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
- 2000, 19 January – Addresses the United Nations Security Council, appealing for help in ending the brutal civil war between ethnic Hutus and Tutsis in Burundi.
- 2001, 25 June – Announces that he has prostate cancer and is undergoing treatment.
- 2003, 31 January – Mandela criticizes President Bush’s stance on Iraq, saying he has no foresight and can’t think properly.
- 2003, 29 November – Aids awareness event, the 46664 Concert (Mandela’s prison number) at Green Point stadium in Cape Town. The event draws 30,000+ fans with performances by Beyonce, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Bob Geldof and many more; and speeches by Mandela and Geldof.
- 2003, 1 December – Mandela participates in the signing of the Geneva Accords for peace in the Middle East.
- 2005, 7 January – Announces that his son, Makgatho, has died of AIDS and that the disease should be given publicity so that people will stop viewing it as extraordinary.
- March 21, 2005, 21 March – Hosts the “46664 concert” in George, South Africa, to promote AIDS awareness.
- 2007, 29 August – A bronze statue of Mandela is unveiled in Parliament Square in London.
- 2008, 27 June – A London concert is held at Hyde Park in honor of Mandela’s 90th birthday (on July 18) with all proceeds going to an AIDS charity. It is estimated that about 40,000 tickets were sold.
- 2009, 18 July – The Nelson Mandela Foundation creates Mandela Day to be held every year on his birthday. The purpose of the day is to bring awareness to community service.
- 2009, 11 November – The United Nations declares July 18th Nelson Mandela International Day.
- 2009, 11 December – The movie Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela opens in South Africa, Canada and the United States.
- 2010, 11 February – On the 20th anniversary of Mandela’s release from prison tributes, commemorations and marches in his honor take place.
- June 11, 2010 – Mandela makes his first World Cup appearance before kickoff of the final match.
- 2011, 26 January – Is hospitalized in Johannesburg and treated for an acute respiratory infection.
- 2011, 21 June – Meets with U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama at his home in South Africa.
- 2012, 25 February – Enters and is released from a Johannesburg hospital, while there undergoes surgery for an abdominal hernia.
- March 2012 – The Nelson Mandela Digital Archive Project is launched. Google gives a $1.25 million grant to help preserve and digitize thousands of archival documents including items donated by Mandela himself.
- 2012, 8 December – Is admitted to the hospital, suffering a lung infection.
- 2013, 27 March – Is admitted to the hospital due to the recurrence of a lung infection.
- 2013, 6 April – Mandela is discharged from the hospital.
- 2013, 8 June – Mandela is admitted to hospital with a recurring lung infection. The former president is listed in serious but stable condition and is breathing on his own.
- 2013, 23 June – Officials say Mandela’s condition worsened in the past 24 hours, and he is now in critical condition.
- 2013, 1 September – After 87 days in a Pretoria hospital Mandela,95, is discharged and returns to his Houghton home.
- 2013, 5 December 2013 @ 20h50- Mandela dies at home in Houghton, Johannesburg and the world mourns
Alan Straton
Latest posts by Alan Straton (see all)
- Why Digital Equity Is South Africa’s New Frontier for Women’s Empowerment – By Matebe Chisiza-Asukile and Natasha Mboyisa - 25 September 2026
- New Champions Rise at the 2026 Street Lines Skate Tournament - 23 September 2026
- When Manufacturers Have a ‘Beef’ Then Both Suffer - 23 September 2026
- How Much Are You Worth per Year to Your Bank? - 23 September 2026
- Better Business Processes. Stronger Workplace Skills. Smarter AI. Greater Business Productivity. - 23 September 2026
Sad day this side, but one thing can be said for sure, Nelson Mandela earned his spot in the hall of legends.
I, along with thousands of others, will always remember the first time that Madiba shook my hand and uttered those immortal words; “Hello, how are you?”
For a brief moment in time the world stood still and you believed that he really really cared about the answer to that question.
What an extraordinary man.