CHRONOLOGY July 11, 1963 : Seven men are arrested at a farmhouse in the Johannesburg suburb of Rivonia. The seven, who will be defendants charged with sabotage in the Rivonia trial, are incarcerated under a law allowing a 90-day detention without charges. August 3, 1963 : Police arrest saboteur Bruno Mtolo, who will become the prosecution's star witness in the Rivonia trial. October 9, 1963 : The Rivonia defendants appear at the Palace of Justice in Pretoria, as the trial opens. The defendants are charged with sabotage and conspiracy. The defense asks for time to prepare its case. Justice de Wet grants a three- week adjournment. October 29, 1963 : Justice de Wet grants a defense motion to quash the indictment. The defendants are re-arrested. December 3, 1963 : The Rivonia defendants enter "not guilty" pleas to a redrawn indictment and prosecutor Percy Yuter presents the government's opening statement. December 10, 1963 : The prosecution's star witness, Bruno Mtolo, takes the stand. March 4, 1964 : The prosecution rests in the Nelson Mandela/Rivonia Trial. April 20, 1964 : Nelson Mandela offers a statement from the dock ("I am Prepared to Die") as the defense opens its case. May 20, 1964 : Closing statements begin in the Rivonia trial. June 11, 1964 : The verdict is announced in the Rivonia trial. Mandela and all defendants except one (Rusty Bernstein) are found guilty. July 12, 1964 : The convicted defendants are sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice. July 13, 1964 : Mandela is transferred to prison on Robben Island near Cape Town.
PRESENTATION It's "the trial that changed South Africa." In the fall of 1963, Nelson Mandela and ten other leading opponents of South Africa's apartheid regime faced trial for their lives. The charges, in what is often called "the Rivonia trial" for the Johannesburg suburb that was the location of the hideout for a militant wing of the African National Congress, were sabotage and conspiracy, and there was little doubt that but that Mandela and most of the other defendants would be found guilty. It’s a criminal trial.
THE CHARGES Recruiting persons for training in the preparation and use of explosives and in guerrilla warfare for the purpose of violent revolution and committing acts of sabotage Conspiring to commit the aforementioned acts and to aid foreign military units when they invaded the Republic Acting in these ways to further the objects of communism Soliciting and receiving money for these purposes from sympathizers in Algeria, Ethiopia, Liberia, Nigeria, Tunisia, and elsewhere Sabotage Nelson Mandela plead not guilty
THE DEFENDANT Defense attorney : Joel Joffe Many of the charged acts of sabotage occurred after Mandela was in jail Many of the prosecution witnesses in the Rivonia trial were ANC or MK recruits who testified only after enduring tough questioning while in detention, often in solitary confinement. The defendants argue for a similar struggle for their rights to fight the Boers against the British in the nineteenth century and cites a moderate jurisprudence even in cases of treason.
PROSECUTION Prosecutor : Percy Yutar His prominent role in both the ANC made a verdict of "guilty“ inevitable The star witness for the prosecution was Bruno Mtolo (a former saboteur) testified that he believed that the ANC had become instruments of the Communist Party Total ammunition seized would be enough to blow up a city the size of Johannesburg Seized documents reveal the existence of such an armed invasion map
SENTENCE Mandela was convicted on all counts and sentenced to life in prison. He served 18 years on Robben Island. He was released from prison in 1990 and died in December 2013
VOCABULARY Conspiracy : Conspiration Prominent : Important Ammunition : Munition Seize : Saisir Blow up : Sauter In jail : En prison Argue : Soutenir Struggle : Lutte Hideout : Cachette Adjournment : Ajournement Indictment : Acte d’accusation Statement : Déclaration
DIALOGUE Ornella : The accused, Nelson Mandela Ines : The prosecutor, Percy Yutar Laëtitia : The judge, Quartus de Wet