19641964–1990 (released 11 February 1990) · Robben Island

Nelson Mandela's imprisonment and release

The maximum-security prison on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent eighteen of his years in custody — Photo: Moheen Reeyad. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sentenced to life at the Rivonia Trial, Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison on Robben Island, breaking stone in a lime quarry with other political prisoners. He walked free from Victor Verster prison near Paarl on 11 February 1990 and spoke from Cape Town City Hall that evening, a moment watched worldwide as apartheid began to end.

Sites

Site 1: Robben Island prisonCell block and lime quarry, with tours led by former political prisoners.Map ↗
Site 2: Cape Town City HallBalcony where Mandela gave his first speech as a free man.Map ↗
Site 3: Drakenstein Correctional Centre gateStatue of Mandela at the gate he walked out of.Map ↗

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Also in Cape Town

More from the Cold War

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