The Rivonia Trial was a case involving Nelson Mandela and other key members of the African National Congress (ANC), who were accused of trying to overthrow South Africa’s apartheid government by violent means. The Rivonia trial took place from 1963-1964 and resulted in 11 defendants being sentenced to life imprisonment.
Mandela was born in 1918 into the Xhosa royal family, but he abandoned this life at an early age to attend university in Johannesburg. He became involved with the ANC as a teenager, working closely with Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo and other young activists dedicated to ending apartheid. He was also active in trade unions for black workers and became involved with the African National Congress Youth League, which advocated more radical action than did older leaders such as Albert Luthuli.
In 1952, Mandela helped create Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), which later became known as MK (Umkhonto we Sizwe). Mandela served as its commander until his arrest in 1962.
In 1964, Mandela was convicted of sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government and sentenced to life in prison on Robben Island. He spent the next 27 years in prison until he was released in 1990 by President F.W. de Klerk after negotiations between the ANC and South African government.
Mandela became president of South Africa in 1994 and served one term before retiring from politics in 1999 due to health issues related to prostate cancer surgery.
