i am prepared to die

We have never felt it necessary to go beyond these sources. I also said that Algerians had promised assistance with training and arms. Refer to the terms & conditions page for more details. Even after 1949, the ANC remained determined to avoid violence. My Lord, the history of the world is full of similar examples. I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill. When it triumphs as it certainly must, it will not change that policy. We chose to defy the Government. But it is a land of extremes and remarkable contrasts. Basically, My Lord, we fight against two features which are the hallmarks of African life in South Africa and which are entrenched by legislation which we seek to have repealed. I have already mentioned that I was one of the persons who helped to form Umkhonto. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve,” and then, against his defence team’s advice, he issued a bold challenge to the court, saying, “But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” I must leave myself free to borrow the best from West and from the East. It put forward demands and resolutions; it sent delegations to the Government in the belief that African grievances could be settled through peaceful discussion and that Africans could advance gradually to full political rights. I also informed them of the unanimous resolution condemning the ill treatment of the African people here and promising support. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. a) I did say that I had left the country early in the year to attend the PAFMECSA Conference, that the Conference was opened by the Emperor Haile Selassie who attacked the racial policies of the South African government, and who pledged support to the African people in this country. Although there is a universal condemnation of apartheid, the communist bloc speaks out against it with a louder voice than most of the western world. I will not say whom we spoke to, or what they said, but I wish to deal with the role of the African National Congress in this phase of the struggle, and with the policy and objectives of Umkhonto we Sizwe. We already had examples in South African history of the results of war. A fact from I Am Prepared to Die appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know? Under the High Command there were Regional Commands which were responsible for the direction of the local sabotage groups. I hold a Bachelor's Degree in Arts and practised as an attorney in Johannesburg for a number of years in partnership with Mr. Oliver Tambo, a co-conspirator in this case. cause gandhi. I now wish, My Lord, to turn to the question of guerrilla warfare and how it came to be considered. ~ nan. I doubt whether there is a single African male in South Africa who has not at some stage had a brush with the police over his pass. The fact that members of Umkhonto recruited from the ANC, and the fact that persons served both organisations, like Solomon Mbanjwa, did not in our view change the nature of the ANC or give it a policy of violence. These so-called “High Commands” came into existence before Umkhonto was formed, and were not concerned in any way with sabotage. Reference was made, both the State and the defence, to the judgment of Mr Justice van Heerden of the Cape Provincial Division. - Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi . We want to be allowed to live where we obtain work, and not be endorsed out of an area because we were not born there. Publication date 1979 Topics Mandela, Nelson, 1918-2013, South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1961-, Politics and government, South Africa Publisher London : International Defence & Aid Fund for Southern Africa Collection All Africa was united against the stand of white South Africa, and even in London I was received with great sympathy by political leaders, such as the late Mr. Hugh Gaitskell and Mr. Grimond. But it was precisely because the soil of South Africa is already drenched with the blood of innocent Africans that we felt it our duty to make preparations as a long-term undertaking to use force in order to defend ourselves against force. But this was no reason, as I shall presently explain, why I should not use the place. My work entailed travelling throughout the country, living now in African townships, then in country villages and again in cities. In fact, I believe none of it is irrelevant because it will, I hope, enable the Court to appreciate the attitude towards Umkhonto eventually adopted by the various persons and bodies concerned in the National Liberation Movement. In prison he contracted cancer which was diagnosed late. We believed in the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that “the will of the people shall be the basis of authority of the Government”, and for us to accept the banning was equivalent to accepting the silencing of the African people for all time. This transcript is as published on the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory website. South Africa is the richest country in Africa, and could be one of the richest countries in the world. At this time, however, there was a change from the strictly constitutional means of protest which had been employed in the past. [someone coughs] During my lifetime I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. Mandela had been accused of inciting strikes by workers and leaving the country without permission of the government. I always regarded it as a separate organisation and endeavoured to keep it as such. Watch: UFC fighter suffers sickening broken nose "You have to let go of everything. I have also been banned and convicted under that Act. But if what I have said already is accepted, then it is clear that these acts had nothing to do with the carrying out of the policy of Umkhonto. It is not only in internal politics that we count communists as amongst those who support our cause. Attacks on the economic life lines of the country were to be linked with sabotage on Government buildings and other symbols of apartheid. He’s still mad because of the ten minutes it took him to do dishes, even though I’ve done the dusting, vacuuming, etc all while being sick. People in the townships became eager for political news. My Lord, I would like now to deal with the immediate causes. I never again saw the unfinished manuscript until it was produced at this trial. The first batch of recruits actually arrived in Tanganyika when I was passing through that country on my way back to South Africa. The confusion, particularly by certain witnesses from the Eastern Cape is, I think, due to the use of the word or the phrase “High Command”. The High Command was the body which determined tactics and targets and was in charge of training and finance. What I did say was that no communist should use his position in Umkhonto for communist propaganda, neither in South Africa nor beyond the borders because unity of purpose was essential for achieving freedom. Whenever we had a special campaign or an important political case we received financial assistance from sympathetic individuals and organisations in the Western countries. In the Manifesto of Umkhonto published on the 16th of December 61, which is Exhibit AD, we said', I quote: "The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices – submit or fight. More than one hundred Africans died in the Bulhoek affair. A surge of strength and joy. Moreover, [audio interference] Africans in the unskilled and semi-skilled occupations which are open to them are not allowed to form trade unions which have recognition under the Industrial Conciliation Act. In this respect the ANC's policy corresponds with the old policy of the present Nationalist Party which, for many years, had as part of its programme the nationalisation of the gold mines which, at that time, were controlled by foreign capital. Having said this, I must deal immediately and at some length with the question of sabotage. I realise that it is one of the main means by which people of all races can be drawn into our struggle. In his defense, Mandela gave a speech titled “I am Prepared to Die” at his trial. Justice De Wet: Yes well before you get there [inaudible] I will take the adjournment. Our struggle is a truly national one. Learn the important quotes in I Am Prepared To Die Speech and the chapters they're from, including why they're important and what they mean in the context of the book. When we took this decision, and subsequently formulated our plans, the ANC heritage of non-violence and racial harmony was very much with us. Some of the things so far told to the Court are true and some are untrue. Police said that five more Africans had been arrested in the vicinity of King William's Town after last week's attack on the town's police station. I also told them of President Ben Bella's invitation to me to go to Oujda where I met officers of the Algerian army including their Commander in Chief Colonel Boumediene. The African Nationalism for which the ANC stands is the concept of freedom and fulfilment for the African people in their own land. The full transcript is as published on the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory website. Is there someone who is special to you? I had already started to make a study of the art of war and revolution and, whilst abroad, underwent a course in military training. “X” denies that I could not have suggested any other than the true objective nor could there have been any possible reason for hiding it. Mr Mandela then gave the speech to Sylvia Neame, a political activist and the partner, at the time, of Mr Kathrada. Civil war would mean the destruction of what the ANC stood for; with civil war, racial peace would be more difficult than ever to achieve. AFP i) – I did not produce any photograph in Spark or New Age as testified to by “X”. - Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi The whole address is an appeal to the Court’s reason, in which the speaker argues for his views using logical and factual arguments. I maintained my attitude that no ideological differences should be introduced until freedom had been achieved. Pass laws, which to the Africans are among the most hated bits of legislation in South Africa, render any African liable to police surveillance at any time. 7. I have always regarded myself, in the first place, as an African patriot. [tape seems to jump] [We viewed] the situation with alarm. h) I told the Regional Committee that I had not visited Cuba but that I had met that country's ambassadors in Egypt, Morocco and Ghana. Great care was taken to keep the activities of the two organisations in South Africa distinct. And the article which I want to refer to appears on the first page. White supremacy implies black inferiority. The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory has a rare typescript of the speech, which Mr Mandela autographed and gave as a gift to a comrade. Our complaint is not that we are poor by comparison with people in other countries, but that we are poor by comparison with white people in our own country, and that we are prevented by legislation from altering this imbalance. In the Rivonia Trial Mr Mandela chose, instead of testifying, to make a speech from the dock and proceeded to hold the court spellbound for more than four hours. Tuberculosis, pellagra, kwashiorkor, gastro-enteritis, and scurvy bring death and destruction of health. I must return however, My Lord to June 1961. I Am Prepared to Die (Nkosi Sikelel'i Afrika) 1. 11.8k members in the yourturntodie community. In these circumstances, it would take a brash young politician, such as I was in 1949, to proclaim that the Communists are our enemies. Secondly, we felt that without sabotage there would be no way open to the African people to succeed in their struggle against the principle of white supremacy. Up to that time I had been compelled to live indoors during the daytime and could only venture out under cover of darkness. Judge: I didn't catch the name – who do you say this man is you were talking to? After April 1960 new methods had to be devised, for instance, by relying on smaller committees. I AM PREPARED TO DIE Nelson Mandela | 20 April 1964 In my youth in the Transkei I listened to the elders of my tribe telling stories of the old days. I certainly did not tell him that certain African states had promised us one percent of their budgets. At the outset, I want to say that the suggestion made by the state in its opening that the struggle in South Africa is under the influence of foreigners or communists is wholly incorrect. It's a very short article, My Lord, I will read it. Nor have I been infected with the novel coronavirus that causes covid-19. Immediately before my arrest in August 1962, I met members of the Regional Command in Durban. I came there in the following manner: a) As already indicated, early in April 1961 I went underground to organise the May general strike. View production, box office, & company info January's Most Anticipated Streaming Titles. The text of the entry was as follows: The text of the entry was as follows: I have great respect for British political institutions, and for the country's system of justice. Above all, My Lord, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. She was released from prison in 1967 and went into exile. It is not the concept of African Nationalism expressed in the cry, 'Drive the White man into the sea'. I was the Honorary Secretary of the Conference, and undertook to be responsible for organising the national stay-at-home which was subsequently called to coincide with the declaration of the Republic. I do not however, deny that I planned sabotage. A proclamation had been issued by Umkhonto on the 16th December 1961 announcing the existence of the body and its name had been known for seven months before the time of this meeting. More than 8,500 people defied apartheid laws and went to jail. We of the ANC had always stood for a non-racial democracy, and we shrank from any action which might drive the races further apart than they already were. We felt that planned destruction of power plants, and interference with rail and telephone communications would tend to scare away capital from the country, make it more difficult for goods from the industrial areas to reach the seaports on schedule, and would in the long run be a heavy drain on the economic life of the country, thus compelling the voters of the country to reconsider their position. This makes the white man fear democracy. I also discovered that some well-known African states, all of them non-communists, and even anti-communists, had received similar assistance. One of their early acts, after coming into power, was to stop subsidies for African school feeding. This conclusion, My Lord, was not easily arrived at. I have no doubt that no self-respecting white political organisation would disband itself if declared illegal by a government in which it had no say. But this is also true of many of the leaders of the new independent states. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defence of our people, our future, and our freedom", unquote This was our feeling in June of 1961, when we decided to press for a change in the policy of the National Liberation Movement. They are called volunteers because they volunteer to face the penalties of imprisonment and whipping which are now prescribed by the legislature for such acts. Updated 06/12/2013 As far as the Communist Party is concerned, and if I understand its policy correctly, it stands for the establishment of a State based on the principles of Marxism. The decision not to impose the death penalty came in part because of political pressure from the United Nations. An article that appears on the front page – the caption, My Lord, reads as follows : “We bombed two pylons, group claims” And then I just wish to refer Your Lordship just to two passages: “The bombing of two power pylons at Rembrandt Park, Johannesburg, on Wednesday night was claimed as the work of the National Committee for Liberation in a typewritten document on a sheet of common writing paper, put into the Rand Daily Mail Christmas Fund Jackpot box during Wednesday night or early yesterday.” And then the penultimate passage in the article reads as follows: “The statement said that the NCL was not aligned with [“the Assegai of the Nation” –inaudible] – I presume My Lord, that it is the Spear of the Nation, which is the translation of Umkhonto we Sizwe. This was a cruel act. I disagreed with him and then he asked me to see whether I could redraft the lectures in the simplified form suggested by me. They defended the policy on the ground that from its inception the ANC was formed and built up, not as a political party with one school of political thought, but as a Parliament of the African people accommodating people of various political views –convictions, all united by the common goal of national liberation. Much of his account is substantially correct, but much of it is slanted and is distorted, and in some important respects untruthful. The change was embodied in a decision which was taken to protest against apartheid legislation by peaceful, but unlawful, demonstrations against certain laws. April 20, 2011 – April 20, 2011 marks the 47th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s speech from the dock in the Rivonia Trial in which he said he was prepared to die for a democratic, non-racial South Africa. Ask Amazon Alexa for the latest SBS News or listen to SBS Radio. Life in the townships is dangerous. 7. If the court will look at some of the standard works of Marxism, my point will be demonstrated. I deny that Umkhonto was responsible for a number of acts which clearly fell outside the policy of the organisation, but which have been charged in the indictment against us. I also made arrangements for our recruits to undergo military training. There were several lectures in draft form. Although it is believed that a number of other Poqo members were arrested on the Reef and in other areas, no figures were available last night. Summaries of books on guerrilla warfare and military strategy have also been produced. I am referring to the bombing of private houses of pro-government persons during December, during September, October and November 1962. Of later acts were claimed by other organisations of various political persuasions same as it must. Began to speculate on how soon freedom would be necessary, even if changes South. 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