Rivonia Trial

The Rivonia Trial was an infamous trial which took place in South Africa between 1963 and 1964, in which ten leaders of the African National Congress were tried for 221 acts of sabotage designed to "ferment violent revolution".

Arrests

Arrested were:

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• Walter Sisulu
• Govan Mbeki
• Raymond Mhlaba
• Elias Motsoaledi, trade union and ANC member
• Ahmed Kathrada
• Dennis Goldberg, a Cape Town engineer and leader of the Congress of Democrats.
• Lionel "Rusty" Bernstein, architect and member of the Communist party
• Bob Hepple
• Arthur Goldreich
• Harold Wolpe, prominent attorney and activist
• James "Jimmy" Kantor, brother-in-law of Harold Wolpe

and others.

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Goldberg, Bernstein, Hepple and Goldreich were Caucasian Jews, Kathrada was Indian, and Sisulu, Mbeki, Motsoaledi and Mhlaba were black.

Related Topics:
Caucasian - Jew - Indian

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The trial brought in Nelson Mandela and chief of MK, Walter Mkwayi.

Related Topics:
Nelson Mandela - Walter Mkwayi

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The government took advantage of 90 days without trial, and the defendants were held incommunicado. Meanwhile, Goldreich and Wolpe bribed a guard and escaped from jail on August 11. Their escape infuriated the prosecutors and police who considered Goldreich to be "the arch-conspirator."

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Lawyers were unable to see the accused until two days before indictment on October 9. Leading the defense team was Bram Fischer, the distinguished Afrikaner lawyer, assisted by Joel Joffe, Arthur Chaskalson and George Bizos. At the end of October, Hepple was able to leave the dock because he had agreed to testify for the prosecution; later he managed to flee the country.

Related Topics:
October 9 - Bram Fischer - Joel Joffe - Arthur Chaskalson - George Bizos

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The chief prosecutor was Dr. Percy Yutar, deputy attorney-general of the Transvaal, also Jewish.

Related Topics:
Percy Yutar - Transvaal

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The trial began on November 26, 1963. After dismissal of the first indictment as inadequate, the trial finally got under way on December 3 with an expanded indictment. Each of the ten accused pleaded not guilty. The trial ended on June 12, 1964.

Related Topics:
November 26 - 1963 - December 3 - June 12 - 1964

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