53 Facts About Denis Goldberg

Denis Theodore Goldberg was a South African social campaigner who was active in the struggle against apartheid.

Denis Goldberg was accused No 3 of 11 defendants in the Rivonia Trial of 1964, alongside the better-known Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu.

Denis Goldberg was convicted and imprisoned for 22 years, along with other key members of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.

Denis Goldberg returned to South Africa in 2002 and founded the non-profit Denis Goldberg Legacy Foundation Trust in 2015.

Denis Goldberg was diagnosed with lung cancer in July 2017, and died in Cape Town on 29 April 2020.

Denis Theodore Goldberg was born on 11 April 1933 in Cape Town, South Africa and grew up in a family that welcomed people of all races into their house.

Denis Goldberg was the son of Annie, a seamstress, and Sam Goldberg, a truck driver.

Denis Goldberg's parents were born in London, the children of Lithuanian Jews who had emigrated to England in the latter half of the 19th century.

In March 1950, at age 16, Goldberg began his studies in civil engineering at the University of Cape Town.

Bodenstein was a committee member of the multiracial Modern Youth Society, through which Denis Goldberg became friends with Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo.

In 1957 Denis Goldberg joined the Communist Party.

Denis Goldberg was arrested on 30 March 1960 for supporting strikers in the townships in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 1960.

Denis Goldberg subsequently lost his job working on the construction of the Athlone Power Station, which added to the burden placed on Esme to support the family.

Together with Looksmart Ngudle, Denis Goldberg helped organise a training camp at Mamre, outside Cape Town, in December 1962.

Denis Goldberg was later charged for his involvement in the camp and other activities at the Rivonia trial.

MK decided that Denis Goldberg needed to leave the country to be trained elsewhere for a while, but first he had to travel to Johannesburg to obtain clearance from the MK High Command.

Denis Goldberg was arrested at the farm along with several others, including Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba and Rusty Bernstein.

Denis Goldberg was subjected to a series of often aggressive interrogations, sometimes threatened with hanging and at other times offered inducements to turn state witness.

Denis Goldberg was told that his friend, Looksmart Ngudle, had died in prison.

An escape plan was discussed, and Denis Goldberg insisted that Esme and the children go into exile, for fear of repercussions should he be successful.

Esme and the children left for Britain in December 1963, but Denis Goldberg was unable to escape.

At 31 years old, Denis Goldberg was the youngest of those sentenced and the only white man.

Denis Goldberg was sent to the Whites section of Pretoria Central Prison, while the others were sent to Robben Island.

Denis Goldberg was mostly alone in his cell for 16 to 18 hours a day.

On his release, Denis Goldberg was given a pack of letters sent by Esme that had been withheld.

When Sam died, Denis Goldberg was not permitted to attend the funeral.

When Fischer became very ill in 1974, Denis Goldberg kept a detailed diary of his medical care.

Denis Goldberg helped care for him and managed to persuade the prison guards to let him stay with Fischer in his cell overnight.

In 1977 Denis Goldberg, along with eight fellow-prisoners, brought a case against the Minister of Prisons and Commissioner of Prisons, asking to be entitled to receive newspapers, arguing that they were treated more harshly than other prisoners and the deprivation of news of any kind was an additional punishment to loss of liberty.

In September 1980, Denis Goldberg was told he could order newspapers - 16 years after being sentenced, he and some of his fellow prisoners were able to have access to news when they reached a certain grade within the prison system.

Denis Goldberg realised that an escape would come with a cost to the movement as it would provoke a severe clampdown by the authorities.

Denis Goldberg was able to do this through coded letters sent to Baruch Hirson in London, with whom he had served a nine-year sentence, as between them they had created a code by which to communicate.

Denis Goldberg withdrew from the actual escape, leaving the three who had done most of the planning and had been the main drivers of the idea from the start: Jenkin, Lee and Alex Moumbaris.

Denis Goldberg helped to distract the warden while the three escapees made their way out; all three managed to escape to neighbouring countries and freedom.

Denis Goldberg asked to see Mandela and his other comrades in Cape Town, but this was refused.

The main condition put to Denis Goldberg was that he would not take part in violence for political ends.

Denis Goldberg agreed not to be a soldier anymore, but he did not repudiate his earlier involvement or the need for an armed struggle.

Denis Goldberg was taken straight from prison to the airport to fly to Israel, where he was reunited with his wife and children.

Denis Goldberg went into exile in London with his family and resumed his work in the ANC at its London office.

Denis Goldberg represented the movement at the Anti-Apartheid Committee of the United Nations and became involved in Woodcraft Folk, a British civic movement for young people in which his family had been active for many years.

Denis Goldberg established strong relationships with trade unions and long-standing relationships with people who continued to support South Africa after democracy was established.

Denis Goldberg was involved in the early days of Computer Aid International, and became their honorary patron.

Denis Goldberg founded the development organisation Community HEART in London in 1995, to help to improve the living standards of black South Africans.

Denis Goldberg subsequently visited Germany many times, learning to speak German and establishing a wide network of friends.

Denis Goldberg returned to South Africa in 2002 and was appointed Special Adviser to Ronnie Kasrils MP, Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry until 2004.

Denis Goldberg subsequently served as special advisor to Buyelwa Sonjica, successor to Kasrils.

In 2009 Denis Goldberg received the Order of Luthuli for his contribution to the liberation struggle and his service to the South African people.

Denis Goldberg viewed Israel's treatment of the Palestinians as being akin to apartheid-era South Africa.

Denis Goldberg became involved in a project to teach high school students about the history of the liberation struggle and lent support to several projects in Hout Bay, the Cape Town suburb where he lived.

Denis Goldberg used his German contacts to help arrange for a jazz band composed of Kronendal students to tour Germany in 2012.

In July 2017, Denis Goldberg was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer after collapsing during a speaking tour in Germany.

Denis Goldberg died at his home in Hout Bay just before midnight on 29 April 2020.

The video features excerpts from interviews with Jenkin, Lee, Moumbaris and Denis Goldberg filmed in 2012, in between re-enacted scenes of the prison escape.