The men who were the catalysts of fight that led to democracy

The death of ANC stalwart Andrew Mlangeni and the accolades showered on him have highlighted the roles played by the cream of the crop of Rivonia triallists in the fight for democracy.

Almost every mention of the Rivonia Trial lists the name of Nelson Mandela, followed by Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu and Raymond Mhlaba, although Sisulu and Mhlaba sometimes swap positions.

Why were these leaders so important in the Rivonia Trial that began in October 1963, and ended with their sentencing in June 1964?

Mlangeni, Mandela, Mbeki, Mhlaba, Sisulu, Elias Motsoaledi, Denis Goldberg and Ahmed Kathrada had active roles in the Defiance Campaign and in acts of sabotage.

The authorities regarded Mandela as the instigator of the anti-apartheid bombing campaign.

He had also left the country illegally, undergone military training abroad and was among the first soldiers of the ANC’s armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Another significant figure in the Rivonia Trial was Govan Mbeki. He was a senior member of the SA Communist Party (SACP) and was viewed as a menace by the government.

Sisulu was not only a mentor to Mandela, whom he recruited in the Transkei and brought to the Transvaal, he was most active as secretary of the ANC in Transvaal. He subsequently became a member of the ANC national executive committee.

Sisulu was seen as the brains behind all the ANC activities post-1940, after the ANC Youth League was founded.

Mhlaba, although not as highly regarded as Mandela, Mbeki and Sisulu, was also seen as a danger by the apartheid system because he was part of the SACP.

He, too, underwent military training under MK.

All the Rivonia triallists were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, except Lionel Bernstein, who was acquitted.