what happened to nelson mandela after he was released from jail?
President of South Africa
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 By 1975 , Mandela had become a Class A prisoner , allowing greater numbers of visits and letters ; he corresponded with anti @-@ apartheid activists like Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Desmond Tutu . That year , he began his autobiography , which was smuggled to London , but remained unpublished at the time ; prison authorities discovered several pages , and his study privileges were revoked for four years . Instead , he devoted his spare time to gardening and reading until he resumed his LLB degree studies in 1980 . 

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 Mandela 's 70th birthday in July 1988 attracted international attention , notably with a tribute concert at London 's Wembley Stadium that was televised and watched by an estimated 200 million viewers . Although presented globally as a heroic figure , he faced personal problems when ANC leaders informed him that Winnie had set herself up as head of a criminal gang , the " Mandela United Football Club " , who had been responsible for torturing and killing opponents – including children – in Soweto . Though some encouraged him to divorce her , he decided to remain loyal until she was found guilty by trial . 

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 Recovering from tuberculosis exacerbated by the dank conditions in his cell , in December 1988 Mandela was moved to Victor Verster Prison near Paarl . He was housed in the relative comfort of a warder 's house with a personal cook , and used the time to complete his LLB degree . While there , he was permitted many visitors and organised secret communications with exiled ANC leader Oliver Tambo . 

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 By the late 1960s , Mandela 's fame had been eclipsed by Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement ( BCM ) . Seeing the ANC as ineffectual , the BCM called for militant action , but following the Soweto uprising of 1976 , many BCM activists were imprisoned on Robben Island . Mandela tried to build a relationship with these young radicals , although he was critical of their racialism and contempt for white anti @-@ apartheid activists . Renewed international interest in his plight came in July 1978 , when he celebrated his 60th birthday . He was awarded an honorary doctorate in Lesotho , the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in India in 1979 , and the Freedom of the City of Glasgow , Scotland in 1981 . In March 1980 , the slogan " Free Mandela ! " was developed by journalist Percy Qoboza , sparking an international campaign that led the UN Security Council to call for his release . Despite increasing foreign pressure , the government refused , relying on its Cold War allies US President Ronald Reagan and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ; both considered Mandela 's ANC a terrorist organisation sympathetic to communism and supported its suppression . 

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 Following the end of a second ban in September 1955 , Mandela went on a working holiday to Transkei to discuss the implications of the Bantu Authorities Act , 1951 with local tribal leaders , also visiting his mother and Noengland before proceeding to Cape Town . In March 1956 he received his third ban on public appearances , restricting him to Johannesburg for five years , but he often defied it . Mandela 's marriage broke down as Evelyn left him , taking their children to live with her brother . Initiating divorce proceedings in May 1956 , she claimed that Mandela had physically abused her ; he denied the allegations , and fought for custody of their children . She withdrew her petition of separation in November , but Mandela filed for divorce in January 1958 ; the divorce was finalised in March , with the children placed in Evelyn 's care . During the divorce proceedings , he began courting and politicising a social worker , Winnie Madikizela , whom he married in Bizana in June 1958 . She later became involved in ANC activities , spending several weeks in prison . Together they had two children : Zenani , born in February 1959 , and Zindziswa , born in December 1960 . 
