No title {Arrest} Long Walk Original Manuscript (Image #505)

postponed for a week. Meanwhile Joe Slovo was granted permission to appear for me in Pretoria. However I had announced in court that I would be conducting my own defence but that I would be retaining the service of both attorney and counsel to advise me. I then made application for the recusal of the magistrate on the grounds that as a white man, he was in no position to try the case fairly and impartially as a judicial officer is required to do. I added that I had been charged for the offense of calling upon the people to overthrow white supremacy, which he himself upheld, and that no white magistrate could therefore be impartial in such a case. (Refer to text of application). As expected the application was rejected on the ground that all magistrates in the country were white and that should he uphold the application there would be no trial whatsoever of political cases involving black politicians. While I was still addressing the court my advocate was summoned by warrant office Dirker and the Security Branch and was rudely ordered to return to Johannesburg. I strongly protested at this and pointed out that from the outset I had been obstructed by high officials in the preparation of my defence. During the morning tea break I was chatting with Zami, Kathrada and others. Members of the Security Branch came up to us and served a house arrest order on Ahmed Kathrada and ordered him to return to Johannesburg immediatly. He was the second person in South Africa to be placed under house arrest, the first being Helen Joseph who had been served with a similar order the previous week.