South Africa: The Prisoners, The Banned and the Banished: Nelson Mandela and his colleagues in the Rivonia trial http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.nuun1969_08 Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education. The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law. Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org South Africa: The Prisoners, The Banned and the Banished: Nelson Mandela and his colleagues in the Rivonia trial Alternative title Notes and Documents - United Nations Centre Against ApartheidNo. 13/69 Author/Creator United Nations Centre against Apartheid Publisher Department of Political and Security Council Affairs Date 1969-10-00 Resource type Reports Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) South Africa Coverage (temporal) 1969 Source Northwestern University Libraries Description Note. A brief review of the "Rivonia Trial" (from the report of the Special Committee on Apartheid in 1964). Biographical particulars. Mr. Nelson (Rolihlahla D.) Mandela. Mr. Walter (Max Ulyate) Sisulu. Mr. Dennis Goldberg. Mr. Govan (Archibald Mvunyelwa) Mbeki. Mr. Ahmed Mohamed ("Kathy") Kathrada. Mr. Raymond Mhlaba. Mr. Elias Motsoaledi. Mr. Andrew Mlangeni. Format extent 23 page(s) (length/size) http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.nuun1969_08 http://www.aluka.org UNIT ON APARTHEID UNIT ON APARTHEID DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL AND SECURITY COUNCIL AFFAIRS i/69 October 1969 NOTES AND DOCUMENTS* SOUTH AFRICA: THE PRISONERS, THE BANNED AND THE BA1IS3HED NELSON MANDELA AND HIS COLLEAGUES IN THE RIVONIA TRIAL Note 1 A brief review of the "Rivonia Trial" (from the report of the Special Committee on Apartheid in 1964) 2 Biographical particulars 10 Mr. Nelson (Rolihlahla D.) Mandela 10 Mr. Walter (Max Ulyate) Sisulu 13 Mr. Dennis Goldberg 14 Mr. Govan (Archibald Mvunyelwa) Mbeki 15 Mr. Ahmed Mohamed ("Kath-") Kathrada 18 Mr. Raymond 14hiaba 20 Mr. Elias Motsoaledl 21 Mr. Andrew Mlangeni 22 (In resolution 2396 (XXIII) of 2 December 1968, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to establish and publicize a "register of persons executed, imprisoned, placed under house arrest or banning orders or deported for their opposition to apartheid." In response to this provision and related requests by the Special Committee on Apartheid, the Unit is initiating a series of "Notes and Documents" giving particulars concerning such persons. This issue is devoted to the eight persons sentenced to life imprisornient in the Rivonia trial of 1963-64). 69-21911 *All material in these notes and documents may be freely reprinted. Acknowledgement, together with a copy of the publication containing the reprint, wou!d be appreciated. INOTE In October 1963, the United Nations General Assembly considered reports that the South African Government was embarking on a trial of Mr. Nelson Mandela, Mr. Walter Sisulu and other prominent opponents of apIrt2eid - in what came to be known as the "Rivonia trial" (after the farm in Rivonia where several of the accused had been arrested). It recalled earlier resolutions in which the General Assembly and the Security Council had called on the South African Government to liberate all persons imprisoned, interned or subjected to other restrictions for having opposed the policy of aRartheid, It considered that the increasingly harsh repressive measures in South Africa "frustrate the possibilities for peaceful settlement, increase hostility among the racial groups and precipitate violent conflict." In a resolution adopted on 11 October 1963, by 106 votes to one, with only South Africa voting against, the General Assembly declared that it: "1. Condemns the Government of the Republic of South Africa for its failure to comply with the repeated resolutions of the General Assembly and of the Security Council calling for an end to the repression of persons opposing aRartheid; "2. Rteuests the Government of South Africa to abandon the arbitrary trial now in progress and forthwith to grant unconditional release to all political prisoners and to all perso'ls imprisoned, interned or subjected to other restrictions for having opposed the policy of apartheid "3. Requests all Member States to make all necessary efforts to induce the Government of South Africa to ensure that the provisions of paragraph 2 above are put into effect immediately." In a number of subsequent resolutions, the General Assembly, the Security Council and other organs repeatedly called on South Africa to liberate the opponents of apartheid and seek a peaceful solution of the situation by consultation and in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But the South African Government has continued to pursue its policies. Eight of the leaders accused in the "Rivonia trial" were sentenced in June 1964 to life imprisonment. The "sabotage act" under which they were charged has been followed by even more stringent and arbitrary legislation, such as the "180day law" and the Terrorism Act. A number have been executed, and many more have been imprisoned, detained, banned and placed under house arrest since that time. Gravely concerned over the persecution and ill-treatment of the opponents of apartheid, United Nations organs have urged the widest publicity to the situation in order to encourage a world-wide campaign for the liberation of the opponents of aTarth eid. This issue of the "Notes and Documents" contains a brief review of the "Rivonia trial" from the report of the Special Committee on Apartheid in 1964, as well as biographical particulars on the leaders who are now serving life imprisonment, taken from United Nations documents, ptitions, press reports and other available sources, -2- A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE "RIVONIA TRIAL" (from the report of the Special Committee on Apartheid in 1964) It may be recalled that General Assembly resolution 1881 (XVIII) of 11 October 1963 followed the charging of eleven prominent leaders of the people and other opponents of apartheid on 9 October 1963 with sabotage and other offences. The trial came to be known as the "Rivonia trial" as most of the accused had been arrested in a raid on the Goldreich farm in Rivonia. The following were accused: Mr. Nelson Iandela, Mr. Walter Sisulu, Mr. Dennis Goldberg, Mr. Govan Mbeki, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Kathrada, Mr. Lionel Bernstein, Mr. Raymond Mhlaba, Mr. James Kantor, Mr. Elias Motosoaledi, Mr. Andrew Mlangeni and Mr. Bob Alexander Hepple. The indictment of 9 October 1963 alleged that the accused had committed 222 acts of sabotage throughout the country against railway, post office and radio installations and the offices of the Bantu Affairs Commissioner between 10 August 1961 and 5 August 1963 in preparation for guerilla warfare. On 30 October 1963 Justice Quartus de Wet upheld defence objections, quashed the indictment as "fatally defective" and reprimanded the prosecutor for lack of specific allegations against the accused. He said it was most improper, when the accused asked for particulars of the charges, to tell them that this was a matter they knew all about. Ten of the accused, except Mr. Hepple, the charges against whom were withdrawn, were immediately re-arrested. A new indictment was served on 12 November 1963 charging two counts of sabotage and two other counts. The first count of sabotage alleged that the accused, acting in concert with a number of persons and through their agents and servants, (a) recruited persons for instruction in the manufacture and use of explosives and for military training inside and outside South Africa; and (b) committed 154 acts of sabotage listed in the indictment. Accused one to seven were charged both in their personal capacities and as members of the National High Command of the Umkonto We Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). Mr. James Kantor was charged both in his personal capacity and as a member of a law firm in partnership with his brother-in-law, Mr. Harold olpe. I/ Names as coconspirators were twenty-two individuals 2/ and three organizations--the South African Communist Party, the African National Congress and the Umkonto We Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). l_/ Mr. Harold Wolpe, an attorney, was detained on 17 June 1963, but escaped from Police headquarters, Johannesburg, and subsequently from South Africa. Messrs. Arthur Joseph Goldreich, Hiro]. W4ope, Vivian Ezra, Julius First, Michael Harmel, Bob Alexander He-ple, Percy John (Jack) Hodgson, Ronald Kasrils, Moses Kotane, Arthur Letele, Tennyson Makiwane, John Joseph Marks, Johannes Modise, George Naicker, Billy !'air, Looksmart Solwandle Ngudle, Philemon Duma Nokwe, James Joseph Radebe, Benjanin Turok and Cecil George Williams. -3- The second count alleged further acts of recruitment ofpersons and thirtynine other acts of violence and sabotage, as well as a conspiracy to commit acts of guerilla warfare and violent revolution. The third count alleged that such acts were calculated to further the achievement of one or more of the objects of communism. The fourth count alleged that the accused solicited, accepted, received and paid out money to various persons to enable or assist them to commit sabotage.