60 years after Rivonia Trial, family members of trialists reflect on how it impacted their lives

JOHANNESBURG - As Wednesday marks 60 years since the historic Rivonia Trial, some family members of the trialists have reflected on events leading up to the iconic trial and life after the sentencing.

In June 1964, anti-apartheid activists Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Kathrada, Denis Goldberg, Raymond Mhlaba, Elias Motsoaledi, and Andrew Mlangeni were sentenced to life in prison on Robben Island for sabotage.

It’s a day of deep reflection for many at Court C at the Palace of Justice, the very courtroom where the Rivonia Trial was held six decades ago with the family members of the accused seated in the now-cushioned dock where the trialists were sentenced.

The son of Andrew Mlangeni, Sello, remembered how the arrest of his father forced him into exile at just six-years-old.

"I call it involuntary exile. We were sent to live with my grandmother in Botswana. She could not take care of us. She often had to make her way into Rhodesia to find food for us."

All the sons and family members of the trialists have recalled how they were just children during the iconic trial when they were forcefully separated from their loved ones for what would be decades.