Twenty former SA political prisoners launched a campaign against apartheid laws

Date: 6 Aug 1989
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Twenty former South African political prisoners, in defiance of the restriction orders the regime imposed on them after their release, launched a campaign against apartheid laws by delivering political speeches at a church service outside Cape Town. Their campaign came a month after the African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela met with President P.W. Botha at Tuynhuis on 5 July. At the time, Mandela was still held at the Victor Verster Prison (1988-1990) after he was transferred from Robben Island (1982-1988) to Pollsmoor prison. Following this meeting, Mandela issued a statement saying, that only dialogue with the outlawed ANC will bring peace to the country.

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How we know this

01O’Malley P. ‘1989’, from Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Dialog, [online], available at www.nelsomandela.org (Accessed: 10 July 2012)
02South African History Online, ‘1980s: Timeline’ [online], available at www.sahistory.org.za (Accessed: 10 July 2012)
03South Africa.Info, ‘Nelson Mandela: Robbern Island and after’, [online], available at www.southafrica.info.org (Accessed: 10 July 2012)
04Answers.com, ‘How many years did Nelson Mandela spend in prison?’ [online], available at www.answers.com (Accessed: 10 July 2012)

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, August 2). Twenty former SA political prisoners launched a campaign against apartheid laws. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0089627

South African History Online (2012) 'Twenty former SA political prisoners launched a campaign against apartheid laws', South African History Online, 2 August. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0089627 (Accessed: 27 August 2026).

South African History Online, Twenty former SA political prisoners launched a campaign against apartheid laws [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0089627, (accessed 27 August 2026).

"Twenty former SA political prisoners launched a campaign against apartheid laws." South African History Online, 2 Aug. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0089627. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Twenty former SA political prisoners launched a campaign against apartheid laws." South African History Online. August 2, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0089627.