Nelson Mandela visits his former cell in the Robben Island prison where he spent 19 of his 27 years in jail
Photo: AFP
POLOKWANE – Today, four years ago, Nelson Mandela passed away in his home in Houghton, Johannesburg.
He died at the age of 95 after battling a recurring lung infection.
Mandela, while increasingly politically involved from 1942, only joined the African National Congress in 1944 when he helped to form the ANC Youth League (ANCYL).
Here is a look at Mandela’s life, in pictures.
1957: Nelson Mandela poses with his wife Winnie during their wedding. Photo: AFP/GettyFeb. 11, 1990: One of the most iconic pictures in South Africa’s history. Mandela and his wife, Winnie, walk out of the Victor Verster prison in Paarl, after he spent 27 years in jail. Photo: AFP/GettyNelson Mandela on the roof of Kholvad House in 1953. Image courtesy of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation. Photo: Nelson Mandela FoundationJune 16, 1964: Eight men, including Nelson Mandela, leaving the Palace of Justice in Pretoria after being sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia trial. Photo: AFP/GettyFeb. 11, 1990: One of the most iconic pictures in South Africa’s history. Mandela and his wife, Winnie, walk out of the Victor Verster prison in Paarl, after he spent 27 years in jail. Photo: AFP/GettyJune 24 1995: Another iconic photo. The moment Nelson Mandela handed the Webb Ellis cup to Francois Pienaar. Photo: Rugby WorldMandela with Queen Elizabeth II during the British monarch’s state visit to South Africa in 1995, a year after Mandela took office in 1994. Photo: Getty2010: Mandela and his wife Graca Machel wave to fans at the closing ceremony of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup
Nelson Mandela: The Personality
Over the years, Mandela had been pictured with many famous celebrities, sport stars and well known personalities.
1997: Mandela, pictured with Prince Charles and the Spice Girls in Pretoria. Photo: PA1999: Mandela and Michael Jackson at a press conference in Cape Town. Photo: AP2002: Mandela with U2 frontman, Bono at his home in Houghton. Photo: Reuters2003: Mandela kisses Beyoncè at an AIDS Benefit concert in Cape Town. Photo: AP2004: Mandela hugs Charlize Theron after she won an Oscar. Photo: AFP
The Nelson Mandela Foundation will today, unveil an exhibition, called Unthreading Mandela, in his honour.
Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard
