📅 11 July 1963
Police arrested much of the underground leadership at Rivonia and seized documents relating to MK strategy. The raid led directly to the Rivonia Trial.
📅 9 October 1963
Eleven defendants were charged with sabotage and conspiracy following the Liliesleaf raid. The political trial threatened the accused with the death penalty.
📅 12 June 1964
Eight defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment rather than death. Their removal weakened internal structures but made the trial a worldwide symbol of resistance.
📅 31 March 1982
Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Raymond Mhlaba and Andrew Mlangeni were moved from Robben Island, partly as the state began considering political contacts.
📅 15 October 1989
Walter Sisulu and six other veteran leaders left prison, signalling that the government was preparing for negotiations with the liberation movement.
