June 12, 1964

Rivonia Trial

Eight Rivonia Trial defendants receive life sentences

They had come to court expecting death. When the judge said "life," Denis Goldberg remembered that they smiled and laughed with relief.

The Palace of Justice, Pretoria

On 12 June 1964, Judge Quartus de Wet sentenced Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Elias Motsoaledi, Ahmed Kathrada, Andrew Mlangeni and Denis Goldberg to life imprisonment.

The guilty findings had come the day before, on 11 June, on sabotage and conspiracy-related counts arising from Umkhonto we Sizwe's underground activities.

In the commotion Goldberg's mother could not hear the sentence and called out to ask what had happened.

Effectively treason, but not the rope

De Wet said the conduct was effectively high treason, then declined to impose the death penalty and sentenced the men under the sabotage charges on which they had been convicted.

These eight were not the whole defendant roster: James Kantor had been discharged and Lionel "Rusty" Bernstein was acquitted. Bram Fischer led the defence.

Mandela was already a prisoner. He had been serving a five-year sentence since 1962, so the life term prolonged an incarceration rather than beginning one.

Seven to Robben Island, one to Pretoria

Police returned the prisoners to Pretoria prison in a heavily guarded convoy while supporters outside sang "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika." Goldberg, aged 31, was separated into the prison's white section.

The next morning seven of the men were shackled and flown to Robben Island.

Goldberg, the only white defendant convicted, stayed in Pretoria — kept apart by apartheid's racially segregated prison system.

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