5 August
'Why is it that no African in the history of this country has ever had the honour of being tried by his own kith and kin, by his own flesh and blood?' _ Nelson Mandela
After 17 months in hiding and following a tip off from the CIA, Nelson Mandela is arrested in Howick on this day in 1962. Charges with incitement to rebellion and leaving South Africa illegally, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment. Later, at the Rivonia Trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
‘During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for. But, my lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.’
Nelson Mandela, Rivonia Trial, Pretoria Supreme Court 20 April 1964
Red Pepper is
the magazine at the heart of the movement – spicing up the left for over 20 years.Read more...
In the latest issue
Creating the future: socialist strategy and the state ● The World Transformed special ● Definancialising the economy ● Europe debate ● What’s left in Latin America ● Football culture ● and much more
Try our ‘Pay as you feel’ subscription...
Popular now
- The government is trying to rebrand NHS privatisation
- Ann Pettifor: If I governed the Bank of England, here’s what I do
- Costas Lapavitsas: Socialism starts at home
- Four myths about antisemitism
- Tricks of the trade
