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Department of Justice
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Criminal Court Case No. 253/1963 (The State versus N Mandela and Others)

  • ZA NARSSA MR-RT-093
  • Collection
  • 1963 - 1964
  • Part of Rivonia Trial

The records of the Supreme Court of South Africa (Transvaal Provincial Division) on the proceedings of the Rivonia Trial. Transferred to National Archives in 1994. Incomplete on transfer. Existent records are:

File cover with handwritten notes, including the sentences that were passed. The clerk of the court recorded the sentences that were passed together with the names of the accused on the cover of a file in blue ink.

Extracts of evidence by state witnesses (3 vols). These volumes include records by the attorney for the accused, Mr. B Fischer, applying for the postponement of the proceedings and the reply by Dr Yutar, the State’s main prosecutor. Further records include the verbatim transcriptions of evidence given by state witnesses.

Evidence for defence (1 vol.). Include verbatim transcriptions of evidence given by Ahmed Kathrada, Raymond Mhlaba, Lionel Bernstein and Govan Mbeki.

Rivonia Exhibits (1 vol.). The exhibits include documents seized by the police at Liliesleaf and deals with topics such as the Transkei; Operation Mayibuye; the new draft programme of the South African Communist Party (SACP); names and addresses of ANC and SACP members; a copy of Sibanye, a newsletter; documents discussing problems in the democratic movement, the Nationalists invasion scare, the general predictions for 1963; handwritten notes on freedom movements elsewhere in Africa; an article by E Rosenthal on General De Wet; a syllabus on the fundamental principles of Marxism; a pamphlet named 'A Call to the Youth'; a manual on rock blasting; the rules of the SACP; sketch of Tunisia; handwritten notes on the Kenya Youth Wing Organisations; SACP newsletter on the China/India border dispute; statement by the SACP on conditions in South Africa; document on the differences in the communist movement; invoices from Ace Auto electricians; press statement by Nelson Mandela on 26 June 1961.

State’s Concluding Address (4 vols). These volumes are divided into three parts. The first part deals with a factual analysis of documentary exhibits handed in, and of oral testimony given, by state witnesses. Part two deals with a factual analysis of the documentary exhibits handed in, and of the oral testimony given, by state witnesses (continued). The third part deals with the Rivonia exhibits.

Two volumes consisting of Judge’s remarks in passing sentence; the Attorney General for the Transvaal’s statement explaining which of the accused was found guilty of what offences; a part of the judgement and verbatim transcriptions of the court proceedings

Judgement (1 vol.).

Dictabelts covering the whole case (8 vols). These are digitised and accessible from NARSSA.

These records, together with the Prosecution Records received from Brenthurst Library, will at some stage become one group.

Department of Justice

Rivonia Trial

A partial record of the State versus Nelson Mandela and nine others Walter Sisulu, Denis Goldberg, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Kathrada, Lionel Bernstein, James Kantor, Raymond Mhlaba, Elias Motsoaledi and Andrew Mlangeni, including the State’s concluding address, judgment and sentence.

Department of Justice

Rivonia Trial

Partial record of the State versus Nelson Mandela and nine others. Bound volumes. Provenance unknown. Contains: State's Concluding Address (volumes 1-4): vol.1: A factual analysis of the documentary exhibits handed in and of the oral testimony given, by the state witnesses, vol.2: The persons who were parties to the conspiracy and the implementation thereof, vol.3: n Kritiese ontleding van sekere dokumentere bewysstukke, vol.4: A factual analysis of the defence case and of the further documentary exhibits produced in the course thereof; and Judgement and Sentence (1 volume).

Department of Justice

Rivonia Trial

Records of the State versus Nelson Mandela and nine others. Contains: the first and second indictments, bail applications, opening address, index to state witnesses and exhibits. The records of state witnesses are: general, from East London and from Port Elizabeth. Also contains the opening address of the defence, Mandela's statement from the dock, the argument by the state, analysis of defence evidence, the judgement, evidence in mitigation of sentencing and judgement on sentence.

Department of Justice

The State versus Nelson Mandela and Nine Others

Partial record of the State versus Nelson Mandela and nine others. Contains: State's Concluding Address : Part 2: The persons who were parties to the conspiracy and the implementation thereof (OP12099), Part.4: A factual analysis of the defence case and of the further documentary exhibits produced in the course thereof (OP12100); and Judgment and Sentence (1 volume: OP12098).

Department of Justice

The State versus Nelson Mandela and Nine Others

Partial record of the State versus Nelson Mandela and nine others. Contains only State's Concluding Address: vol.1: A factual analysis of the documentary exhibits handed in and of the oral testimony given, by the state witnesses.

Department of Justice

Rivonia Trial

  • ZA CL-RU MR-RT-030
  • Collection
  • 1963 - 1964
  • Part of Rivonia Trial

Purchased from Microfile, Johannesburg. Records of the State vs. Nelson Mandela and nine others. Includes indictments, addresses, evidence and other trial records. Incomplete. There is no inventory so it is unclear which trial records are missing.

Department of Justice

Rivonia Trial

Records of the State vs. Nelson Mandela and nine others. Microfilm, 35 mm. Originals in South African Institute of Race Relations Archive at University of Witwatersrand (see AD1844). The microfilm is identical to the set of records at Wits and is missing the same volumes. Includes charge sheets, the indictment, opening address, statements, evidence, evaluation of evidence and exhibits, bail applications, sentencing. An important section of the collection relates to preparation of the defence as this was the defence team's set of records pertaining to the trial.

Department of Justice

The State versus Nelson Mandela and Nine Others

  • ZA ASC-UNISA MR-RT-028
  • Collection
  • 1963 - 1964
  • Part of Rivonia Trial

In Special Collections section of the UNISA Library. The records of the Supreme Court of South Africa (Transvaal Provincial Division) on the proceedings of the Rivonia Trial. The collection contains: Indictment: Annexures and Opening address (1 volume); State's Concluding Address (volumes 1-4): vol.1: A factual analysis of the documentary exhibits handed in and of the oral testimony given, by the state witnesses, vol.2: The persons who were parties to the conspiracy and the implementation thereof, vol.3: n Kritiese ontleding van sekere dokumentere bewysstukke, vol.4: A factual analysis of the defence case and of the further documentary exhibits produced in the course thereof; and Judgment and Sentence (1 volume).

Department of Justice

Prosecution Records

  • ZA NARSSA MR-RT-005
  • Collection
  • 1963 - 1964
  • Part of Rivonia Trial

These records were donated by the Oppenheimer Family to the National Archives in 2008 from the Brenthurst Library in Johannesburg. The Oppenheimers acquired them from Dr Percy Yutar, the prosecutor in the trial.

They are not a complete record. Some witness testimony, and cross-examination are missing. See linked list for more details.

Included in the records are the indictment, opening address, statements, evidence by witnesses for the State and for the accused, evaluation of evidence of the trial, judgment and sentence, photographs, the diary Mandela kept when he left South Africa secretly at the beginning of 1962 to undergo military training and to garner support for the banned ANC. Also included is Mandela's statement from the dock. A significant component of the material is the working papers of the prosecution that were used to build up the State's case against the Rivonia Trialists. There are also photocopies and microfilm copies.

There are also prosecution records from the Yutars in the personal collection of Douw Steyn and at Liliesleaf Farm.

Yutar, Percy