Remembering a legal battle to the death
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Wits University, the Legal Resources Centre and the Nelson Mandela Foundation screened the documentary Life is Wonderful: Mandela鈥檚 Unsung Heroes on 7 June 2018 at Wits. It was the first in a series of events in honour of the late Joel Joffe, attorney in the 1963-1964 Rivonia Trial.
Lord Joffe, as he came to be titled in the UK, was an alumnus of Wits, along with Arthur Chaskalson, and Denis Kuny, in the legal team defending and his co-accused on charges of sabotage. Also in the defence team were Bram Fischer and .
Mandela, , Ahmed Kathrada, , , , and were sentenced to life imprisonment. Wits alumnus 鈥 later Sir Bob Hepple QC 鈥 was discharged. and were acquitted. and Wits alumnus escaped from jail.
The documentary by retired British judge Sir Nicholas Stadlen QC focuses on the legal defence and the less well known around the trial, told by the surviving triallists and lawyers. The title refers to Goldberg鈥檚 reaction to the sentence of life in prison, rather than death.
In her own personal tribute, Wits Associate Professor and alumna Bonita Meyersfeld has about why Joffe is 鈥渢he benchmark for the lawyer 鈥 and the human being 鈥 I want to be鈥.
- Over the years, Wits has conferred honorary degrees on Nelson Mandela, Ahmed Kathrada, Joel Joffe, Arthur Chaskalson, Bob Hepple and Bram Fischer.
- Joel Joffe wrote an account of the Rivonia Trial, (Oneworld Publications).
- , also released as , is a fictionalised account focusing on Bram Fischer鈥檚 life. Wits Drama alumnus Daniel Janks plays George Bizos.
- is a documentary by Nicolas Champeaux.