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Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela - facts about Nelson Mandela's Life, A Chronology or Timeline ... Release From Prison February 11th, 1990 to ...

Photo ... one of first images of Nelson Mandela for over 20 years thanks to www.sahistory.org.za

Nelson Mandela Winnie Mandela Release from prison

1990, February 2nd and the New South Africa starts

At the opening of parliament FW de Klerk surprises everyone by unbanning all political parties, including the South African Communist Party, and the release of all poltical prisoners not guilty of violent crimes

Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison 1990, February 11th

Mandela travels to Lusaka to meet the ANC's national executive committee. He then travels to Sweden to meet the ANC President Oliver Tambo, but cuts short the rest of his proposed trip abroad as a result of increased unrest within South Africa

ANC and government team meets at Groote Schuur.
Mandela headed the ANC delegation, which held talks with South African government representatives at Groote Schuur

Nelson Mandela began a six-week tour of Europe, the United Kingdom, North America and Africa. His reception by heads of state, and hundreds of thousands of citizens of the countries he visited, confirms his stature as an internationally respected leader

Nelson Mandela attends the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) summit held in Addis Ababa, but has to leave for Kenya when he contracts pneumonia. In August talks resume with the South African government and in the same month Mandela visited Norway. This is followed by visits to Zambia, India and Australia

SACP is relaunched at the Soweto Stadium with a crowd of 50 000 - in the following fifteen months the SACP membership shoots up to 25 000 at a time when communist parties around the world are in decline

The Pretoria Minute is signed which proclaims that the ANC suspends all armed activity

A Cabinet 'bosberaad' (council) is held at a game lodge to discuss the Harare Declaration and the release of Mandela.

1991

Mandela meets Buthelezi at the Royal Hotel In Durban for eight hours and agree to promote peace

Mandela meets with Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, President of the Inkatha Freedom Party, in an attempt to put an end to the violence sweeping Natal and the Transvaal. However, despite their pledges to work towards peace, the violence continues. Mandela then issues an ultimatum to the government, setting a deadline by which it had to end the violence, and fire the Ministers of Defence and Law and Order. He indicates that the ANC will quit the negotiation process if these demands are not met. However, the government fails to meet these demands.

Mandela meets Buthelezi and raises his distrust of De Klerk

Mandela attended a meeting between the ANC and the Pan African Congress in Harare where they resolved to work together to oppose apartheid. A joint sub-committee was established to approach the European Community to reverse its decision to lift bans on steel imports from South Africa. The meeting also resolved to convene a conference of anti-apartheid organisation to support the demand for a national constituent assembly

Mandela attended the OAU summit in Abuja, Nigeria, following which he travelled to the United Kingdom and Belgium.

The ANC conference held in Durban, Nelson Mandela was elected ANC president, succeeding an ailing Oliver Tambo.

ANC holds its first national conference in 30 years inside the country in Durban, with over 2 000 delegates and elects a new National Executive

Nelson Mandela travels to countries in South America.

Mandela signs the National Peace Accord on behalf of the ANC. This agreement between a number of political organisations, including the ANC, Inkatha Freedom Party and the National Party, establishes structures and procedures to attempt to end political violence which had become widespread

A meeting of the Patriotic Front is held in Durban in an attempt to bring together all anti-apartheid groupings in the country. All attend with the exception of Azanian People's Organisation. Policy regarding future negotiations is formulated and the ANC and the PAC begin preparatory meetings for the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa). However, the PAC cannot see it's way clear to participating in the convention

Mandela travels to West Africa.

The first meeting of Codesa, set up to negotiate procedures for constitutional change, is held. At the end of the plenary session, after De Klerk raises the question of disbanding Umkhonto we Sizwe, Mandela delivers a scathing personal verbal attack on him. Mandela argues that even the head of an illegitimate, discredited minority regime should have certain moral standards'

Meets United States President, George Bush (Senior).

1992

Mandela receives a joint award with FW De Klerk in Spain - the Prince of the Asturias Prize for International Co-operation

Mandela continues his programme of extensive international travel, visiting Tunisia, Libya and Morocco. He and State President de Klerk jointly accept the UNESCO Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize in Paris on 3 February. At the same time the two men attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Mandela calls a press conference at which he states that he and his wife, Winnie, have agreed to separate as a result of differences, which have arisen between them in recent months. Later in April Mandela, FW de Klerk and Mangosuthu Buthelezi address a gathering of more than a million members of the Zion Christian Church at Moria, near Pietersburg, and commit themselves to end the ongoing violence and move speedily towards a political settlement

The second plenary meeting of Codesa is held, but the working group dealing with constitutional arrangements deadlocks when the ANC and the government cannot reach agreement on certain constitutional principles. Codesa's management committee is asked to find a way out of the log-jam.
While visiting the Scandinavian countries and Czechoslovakia in May, Mandela suggests that FW de Klerk is personally responsible for the political violence in South Africa. He likens the violence in South Africa to the killing of Jews in Nazi Germany. Mandela also criticises what he feels is the stranglehold imposed on the South African press which represents White-owned conglomerates; however, he expresses support for critical, independent and investigative press.

By 16 June (Soweto Day) no progress has been made and the ANC calls for a mass action campaign to put pressure on the South African government. Following the Boipatong massacre of 17 June 1992, Mandela indicates that negotiations with the government will not be resumed until ANC demands for an election to a constituent assembly, a transitional government, and state steps to end political violence are met. At the end of June 1992 Mandela addresses the Heads of States Summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Dakar, Senegal. As a result, the OAU agrees to raise the issue of South Africa's political violence at the United Nations

Mandela and representatives of other South African parties address the UN Security Council. Mandela asks the UN to provide continuous monitoring of the violence, and submits documents, which he claims, proved the 'criminal intent', of the government, both in the instigation of violence and in failing to halt it. He maintains that the government is conducting a 'cold-hearted strategy of state terror to impose its will on negotiations'.

Mandela visits the Olympic games in Barcelona, where a South African team is participating for the first time in 30 years. On his return to South Africa, he involves himself in the ANC's mass action campaign calling for disciplined and peaceful protest

Following violent incidents between ANC supporters in the Transvaal, Mandela admits that the organisation has disciplinary problems with some of its followers, particularly in township self-defence units. He promises to take action against those who abuse positions of power and authority.
Mandela indicates that the ANC has shifted its economic thinking, particularly with regard to nationalisation. This is no longer viewed as an ideological imperative, but merely as one of the policy options. He continues to stress the need to redress economic imbalances, but notes that the ANC was aware of both local and international business hostility towards nationalisation

Mandela indicates that he is prepared to meet De Klerk on condition that he agrees to the fencing off of hostels, the banning of the public display of dangerous weapons and the release of political prisoners. They meet at the end of the month and these bi-lateral talks result in the signing of a Record of Understanding by the two leaders, which enables negotiations to be resumed

1993

Mandela wins the Philadelphia Liberty Medal (USA)

Following the assassination of the South African Communist Party leader, Chris Hani, he again calls for restraint, discipline and peace, but at a rally in Soweto's Jabulani Stadium he is booed by a militant crowd when he tries to convey a message of peace in the wake of the killing

Mandela causes a political row when he suggests that South Africa's voting age should be lowered to enable 14-year old children to vote. However, he is persuaded to accept that only people aged 18 or more can vote in the April 1994 elections

Mandela campaigns on behalf of the ANC for the 1994 election and addresses a large number of rallies and people's forums. At the same time, he continues to attempt to draw the Freedom Alliance partners (white right wing groups, the IFP, Bophuthatswana and Ciskei governments) into the election process.

While on a visit to the United States of America, he urges world business leaders to lift economic sanctions and to invest in South Africa.

Mandela wins the Nobel Peace Prize, together with FW de Klerk (Norway)

 

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