Defendants
In December 1956 many key members of the Congress Alliance were arrested and charged with treason, including the almost entire executive committee of the ANC, as well as the SACP, SAIC, COD. 105 Africans, 21 Indians, 23 whites and 7 colored leaders were arrested. Ten of the arrestees were women. Many arrestees, including Nelson Mandela, were detained in communal cells in Johannesburg Prison, known as the Fort, resulting in what Mandela described as "the largest and longest unbanned meeting of the Congress Alliance in years." However, white men, white women, black were all held in a separate parts of the jail.
Initially, 156 defendants were charged with high treason. The number of defendants was later reduced to 92. In November 1957, the prosecution reworded the indictment and proceeded a separate trial against 30 accused. Their trial commenced in August 1959. The remaining 61 accused were tried separately before the case against them was dismissed in mid 1959.
Treason trial defendants (during various stages of the trial) included:
- Nelson Mandela, ANC (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Ahmed Kathrada, accused number three, secretary-general of the Transvaal Indian Youth Congress (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Walter Sisulu, ANC (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Stanley Lollan, accused number four, SACPC (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Leon Levy (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Helen Joseph, white trade unionist and women's leader (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Lillian Ngoyi (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Joe Slovo, SACP lawyer (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Duma Nokwe (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Bertha Mashaba Gxowa (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Ida Flyo Mntwana, first national president of the Federation of South African Women, died March 1960 before verdict (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Farid Adams (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Elias Moretsele, ANC leader, died on a few weeks before the trial ended (one of the final 30 defendants)
- Chief Luthuli, known as Chief Luthuli, then-president of the ANC, later released for lack of evidence.
- Alex La Guma, journalist and writer
- Archie Gumede, now leader of the United Democratic Front.
- Ben Turok Academic, now member of Parliament
- Monty Naicker, the Gandhian leader of the Natal Indian Congress
- Ruth First, SACP, journalist and wife of Slovo
- Billy Nair, Trade Unionist in Natal
- Lionel Foreman, lawyer and journalist (indictment withdrawn) and died in 1959.
- Lionel Bernstein, known as Rusty, Congress of the People and Congress of Democrats
- Moosa Moolla, now ANC representative in India.
- Moses Kotane, ANC delegate to the Asian-African Conference in Bandung
- George Peake
- Nimrod Sejake
- Vuyisile Mini, Trade Union leader and musician
- Yusuf Dadoo, leader of the South African Indian Congress
- Z. K. Mathews, academic
- Oliver Tambo, released for lack of evidence, goes into exile to coordinate the ANC from abroad.
- Wilton Mkwayi, went into hiding during the 1960 State of Emergency while the other defendants were detained, later arrested and tried during the Rivonia Trial.
- Reggie September
- Piet Beyleveld
- M.B. Yengwa, Natal ANC
- Peter Nthite, ANC youth league
- Patrick Molaoa, ANC youth league
- Debi Singh, SAIC
- Arthur Letele
- Rev. James Calata
- Fish Keitseng
Lawyers for the defense included:
- Israel Maisels, known as Issy Maisels, led the defense team
- Sydney Kentridge
- Vernon Berrangé
- G. Nicholas
- Rex Welsh
- Ruth Hayman
- Bram Fischer
- Norman Rosenberg
- Maurice Franks
- Joe Slovo conducted his own defense
- Nelson Mandela and Duma Nokwe conducted the defense during the state of the emergency after the Sharpeville Massacre, when the trialists instructed their defense lawyers to temporarily withdraw from the case
Read more about this topic: Treason Trial