Nelson Mandela Walked Free 36 Years Ago Today

Thirty-six years ago today, the world watched as Nelson Mandela took his first steps as a free man after spending 27 years behind bars.

On February 11, 1990, South African President F.W. de Klerk ordered Mandela's release from Victor Verster Prison near Cape Town. The decision came after mounting domestic unrest and growing international pressure to end apartheid.

Journalists had camped outside the prison for months, some spending two consecutive Christmas holidays waiting for this moment. Photographers pressed against fences, hoping to catch the first glimpse of the man who had become a global symbol of resistance.

When Mandela finally emerged with his wife Winnie by his side, cheering crowds lined the streets. Cars carrying the freed leader moved slowly through waves of jubilant supporters reaching out to touch history.

The celebration exploded across South Africa. In Soweto, residents clutched newspapers announcing the release, their faces beaming with joy. People crammed onto buses, hung from windows, and walked miles to reach Orlando Stadium the next day.

On February 12, thousands packed into the stadium for Mandela's first public rally since his imprisonment. The event had originally been planned to celebrate the unbanning of the African National Congress, but it became something even bigger: a celebration of freedom itself.

Mandela stood alongside ANC Secretary General Walter Sisulu and future president Cyril Ramaphosa to deliver his first public speech in nearly three decades. His words carried the weight of years spent on Robben Island, at Pollsmoor, and finally at Victor Verster.

The Ripple Effect

Mandela's release didn't just free one man. It opened the door for negotiations that would dismantle apartheid and lead to South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994. Four years after walking out of prison, Mandela became the country's first Black president.

The images from that day remain powerful: praise singers outside the prison gates, masses of people streaming toward the stadium, and a 71-year-old man raising his fist in triumph. They captured a nation exhaling after decades of oppression.

The moment proved what millions had believed through the darkest years: that justice delayed is not justice denied.