No title {Arrest} Long Walk Original Manuscript (Image #554)

He was among the early victims of the 90 Day Detention Law and during his interrogation he was beaten up and tortured. From his state of health one would have expected him to break down under the gruelling experience but his courage and strong political beliefs pulled him through that ordeal. In spite of his humble educational background he is articulate in English and conducted himself with confidence in court. During the preparations for the trial we were asked to write our biographical sketches which were later submitted to the authoress Nadine Gordimer and she considered his style of writing was the best amongst all of us accused. In his unsworn statement to the court he admitted he was a member of MK, that he served on the Technical Committee of the johannesburg region of that organisation, that he knew about the acts of sabotage committed by the MK units and assisted in accommodating recruits in transit. In fact he was a full time employee of MK and a key figure in its activities in the Transvaal. Almost every recruit who left the country passed through his hands and he also gave instructions on sabotage operations. The last accused was Andrew Mlangeni who was detained about the same time as Elias Motsoaledi. Of all my African fellow accused in the case he was the only one born in an urban area, Johannesburg, and who lived all his life in the city. He joined the ANC Youth League in 1951. In 1958 he became the secretary of the South Western