Looking for a place to play your VUVUZELA? Check out our Maps for Africa for Safe Travelling in and around Southern Africa

Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela - facts about Nelson Mandela's Life, A Chronology or Timeline 1964 Treason Trial to 1979

1964 June 12 Nelson Mandela and all the other accused, except Rusty Bernstein are found guilty of sabotage and sentenced to life imprisonment; Dennis Goldberg is held in Pretoria

Nelson Mandela Winnie Mandela Release from prison

For many many years Nelson Mandela remained a complete unknown ... in South Africa nobody was allowed to publish anything and few if any photographs exist. Fairly recently (2004) there was a report of a cache of Nelson Mandela's letters written in prison having been returned to Nelson Mandela himself by a prison warder of the time.

1964 August

Winnie and Albertina Sisulu are given permission to visit Robben Island, but are forbidden to travel together a they are both banned.

1964 September

Babla Saloojee dies after been thrown from the seventh floor of John Vorster Square (Johannesburg Police headquarters)

1964 October

Winnie lays a charge of assault against the police. The incident occurred while she was at the police station bringing food for ninety-day detainee Paul Joseph. Chief Luthuli calls on Britain and the United States to apply sanctions against South Africa

1965

Mandela is allowed his first visit. Bram Fischer goes underground

1966

Fischer is sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage. Andimba Ja Toivo of SWAPO joins Mandela on Robben Island. Winnie makes her second visit to Robben Island

Sabata, nephew of the Tembu Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, dies. It was this latter chief to whom Henry Mandela entrusted his young son, Nelson Mandela.

Kaiser Dalunonga Matanzima, a relative of Nelson Mandela, becomes Chief Minister of the apartheid 'bantustan' homeland of Transkei.

1967 April

Mandela, Neville Alexander, Eddie Davis and Laloo Chiba are charged under section 99(1) of the Prison Regulations for being 'idle careless and negligent at work. The charges are later dropped

1967 July

Chief Luthuli is knocked down and killed by a train while taking his routine walk on a familiar route at Groutville.

1967 September

Mandela is allowed four visits a year. His son Makgatho makes his first visit to prison and sees his father after four years

1968 September

Mandela's mother Nonqaphi Nosekeni Mandela dies of a heart attack; Winnie and Paramount chief Dalindyebo of Tembuland apply for Nelson to attend funeral, permission is refused

1968 December 20

Winnie gets permission to visit Mandela

1969 May

Winnie is arrested with twenty-one others and detained for five months. She is interrogated and tortured. A group of British anti-apartheid activists plan to rescue Mandela from Robben Island. Bureau of State Security (BoSS) infiltrates the group and the plan is aborted.

1969 July

Mandela is informed of the death of his son Tembi.

Winnie and her co-accused are acquitted after 491 days in solitary confinement

Winnie is served with a five year banning order and placed under house arrest

1970

Mandela is allowed his first visit from Winnie in two years

1971

A gunman is found prowling in the Mandela yard

1972

Two men try to strangle Winnie in her bed - they flee when her screams attract neighbours. The Mandela house is attacked, windows are smashed. Winnie and Peter Magubane are arrested for communicating with each other. They are prohibited from doing so in terms of their banning orders.

1973

The government offers to release Mandela to the Transkei. He refuses. Security police raid the Mandela home, this is followed by an attack by vandals who cut the telephone wires, smash, windows and doors and dump anti-government leaflets in the yard

1974

Winnie and Peter Magubane lose their appeals and each begin their six months jail sentence for communicating with each other when prohibited from doing so. Winnie is cited women of the year by British women.

1975

Winnie's banning order expires, she attends a welcome meeting in Durban, and is elected onto the executive of the Federation of Black Women

1976

Soweto burns. Winnie Mandela is elected to the Black Parents Committee. Mass detentions follow. She is one of six executive members of the Federation of Black Women to be detained. She is released and banned again

1977

Winnie Mandela is banished to Brandtfort in the Orange Free State. Winnie is also charged on seven counts of breaking her banning order, four for having visitors and three for attending gatherings. Black organisations including the Federation of Black Women and Black Parents Association are banned.

Steve Biko dies after police beatings whilst in detention on 12 September

The UN Security Council imposes an arms embargo on South Africa

1978

Winnie is sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for four years for breaking the banning order. Prime Minister Vorster resigns after the 'Muldergate Affair', involving the misappropriation of public funds. PW Botha takes over as Prime Minister.

1979

African trade unions are for the first time recognised under the Industrial Relations Act. During September the Azanian People's Organisation holds its inaugural conference. Two months later the Azanian Students Organisation is formed for College students, whilst the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) is formed for high school students. The Western Cape is hit by a wave of stayaways with broad community support focusing on a wide range of issues.

This timeline and facts about the Great Nelson Mandela's life supplied with permission from South African History Online: www.sahistory.org.za