Rivonia trial commemorations sparks conversation on some of SA’s democratic failures

JOHANNESBURG - The commemoration of the Rivonia Trial sparked conversation on some of the failures in South Africa’s democracy.

Wednesday marks 60 years since anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, and Ahmed Kathrada, were sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island for sabotage and attempting to overthrow the government.

While all the trialists have since died, their family members gathered in a courtroom at the Palace of Justice, where the trial took place.

Some of the family members of the Rivonia trialists spent the day seated in the very dock where the anti-apartheid stalwarts were sentenced six decades ago for their political activity.

The daughter-in-law of Walter and Albertina Sisulu, Eleanor, said it's important to reflect on the Rivonia Trial in the context of marking 30 years of democracy.

“A time when our democracy is in quite a fragile state and a time when the judiciary will become increasingly under attack because there are elements on a path of revenge.”

At the same time, Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo asked attendees whether the accused would be happy with our democracy.

“What has happened in this country is not what they sacrificed their lives for. We are one of the most unequal societies, yet we have people who sacrificed their lives to make sure that does not happen.”

The Rivonia Trial has been described as a building block towards South Africa’s Constitution and an eye-opener for the apartheid government.