Mandela’s first court statement challenges the racial order

Mandela conducted his own defence in the Pretoria trial on charges of inciting a strike and leaving the country without a passport. In his statement, he challenged the legitimacy of a court system that excluded the Black majority from political power. The United Nations’ record dates the trial from 15 October to 7 November; some South African timelines mark the first court day as 13 October. The entry uses the UN court record’s start date.