Prison Sentences

Willem Boshoff
b. 1951, Johannesburg, South Africa
Works in Johannesburg, South Africa
Prison Sentences
2010
Belfast black granite
Museum purchase, 2016-5-1

They gave the best years of their life to the struggle.

Prison Sentences reflects upon the marking and passing of time—here, the jail time served by some of South Africa’s most notable apartheid-era political prisoners. Each tablet is inscribed with the days, weeks, months, and years served by Nelson Mandela and seven other political prisoners who were initially sentenced to life imprisonment at the close of the Rivonia Trial held in June 1964.

The names and sentences completed by the Rivonia prisoners are inscribed on each tablet (left to right):
Nelson Mandela: 11 Jun 1964–11 Feb 1990 (9,377 days)
Ahmed Kathrada: 11 Jun 1964–15 Oct 1989 (9,269 days)
Walter Sisulu: 11 Jun 1964–15 Oct 1989 (9,269 days)
Raymond Mhlaba: 11 Jun 1964–15 Oct 1989 (9,269 days)
Elias Motsoaledi: 11 Jun 1964–15 Oct 1989 (9,269 days)
Andrew Mlangeni: 11 Jun 1964–15 Oct 1989 (9,269 days)
Govan Mbeki: 11 Jun 1964–5 Nov 1987 (8,548 days)
Dennis Goldberg: 11 Jun 1964–28 Feb 1985 (7568 days)