Robben Island Imprisonment
Sobukwe was kept in solitary confinement but permitted certain privileges including books, newspapers, civilian clothes, bread etc. He lived in a separate area on the Island where he had no contact with other prisoners. The only contacts were his secret hand signals whilst outside for exercise. Despite this he succeeded in giving his approval to the external PAC to adopt a Maoist political program. He studied during this time and received (among others) a degree in economics from the University of London.
It is speculated that the South African administration had profiled Robert Sobukwe as a more radical and difficult opponent than the regular ANC prisoners.
Throughout his imprisonment, Sobukwe maintained communication with his friend Benjamin Pogrund who later became his biographer ("Sobukwe and Apartheid," Johannesburg, J.Ball, 1990).
Read more about this topic: Robert Sobukwe
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