Nelson Mandela was assigned the prison number 46664 on Robben Island.
The number represented his prisoner identity: he was the 466th prisoner admitted in 1964. Apartheid prisons commonly identified political prisoners by numbers rather than treating them as individuals with full names and rights.
After Mandela’s release, 46664 became associated with his humanitarian campaign against HIV/AIDS. The 46664 initiative used concerts and public events to raise awareness and support prevention and treatment efforts.
The number is therefore both a record of imprisonment and a later symbol of activism. It should not be confused with Mandela’s birth name, Rolihlahla, or his clan name, Madiba.