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eventREF E-0011838Revised

Event record

Police swoop down on the homes of Congress of the People leaders across the country, the arrests led to the Treason Trial

Police swoop down on the homes of Congress of the People leaders across the country, the arrests led to the Treason Trial

Date
5 Dec 1956
Updated
30 Sep 2019
Police swoop down on the homes of Congress of the People leaders across the country, the arrests led to the Treason Trial

Following the highly successful multi-racial Congress of the People Conference in June 1955, the South African Police raided the homes and offices of those who had participated in the conference, seizing a large number of documents.  At dawn on 5 December 1956 the South African police swooped down on the homes of various Congress of the People leaders across the country. Ten days later, the police had arrested 156 leaders, both Black and leftist Whites. Among those arrested were Albert Luthuli (president of the African National Congress), Prof. Z.K. Matthews, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela and many more. They were all transported to Johannesburg where they were confined in the Old Fort Prison in two large adjacent cells. This led to the infamous Treason Trial, 1956 - 1961.

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How we know this

  1. 01Muller, C.F.J. (ed) (1981). Five Hundred years: a history of South Africa; 3rd rev. ed., Pretoria: Academica, p. 498.
  2. 02Reader's Digest. (1988). Illustrated History of South Africa: the real story, New York: Reader's Digest Association, p. 389.

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). Police swoop down on the homes of Congress of the People leaders across the country, the arrests led to the Treason Trial. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011838

South African History Online (2011) 'Police swoop down on the homes of Congress of the People leaders across the country, the arrests led to the Treason Trial', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011838 (Accessed: 18 August 2026).

South African History Online, Police swoop down on the homes of Congress of the People leaders across the country, the arrests led to the Treason Trial [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011838, (accessed 18 August 2026).

"Police swoop down on the homes of Congress of the People leaders across the country, the arrests led to the Treason Trial." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011838. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Police swoop down on the homes of Congress of the People leaders across the country, the arrests led to the Treason Trial." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011838.

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