Nelson Mandela announced his second retirement from public life in 2004.
After leaving South Africa’s presidency in 1999, Mandela continued working on major causes, including HIV/AIDS awareness, conflict resolution, and the Nelson Mandela Foundation. In June 2004, at age 85, he announced that he would reduce his public schedule and retire from public life.
Mandela later made limited appearances, particularly for major public events and causes that mattered deeply to him. His reduced activity was not an immediate disappearance from civic life; he remained involved through his foundation and personal interventions.
The year is often confused with 1999, when he retired from the presidency, or with 2008, when his U.S. terrorism watch-list status was removed. These were separate milestones in his later life.