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South Africa Prison conditions
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Proceedings of the launch of the exhibition Reflections on prison life and Nelson Mandela receiving his two personal Notebooks from an ex prison official Donald Card.

Proceedings of the launch of the exhibition Reflections in prison include Nelson Mandela receiving his two personal Notebooks that mysteriously went missing after a raid in Robben Island prison. Donald Card an ex-prison official in Robben Island at the time of the notebooks going missing returns them to Nelson Mandela at the Nelson Mandela Foundation offices in Johannesburg in 2004. Video recording of the proceedings of the launch of the exhibition Reflections in prison together with the return of the two of personal notebooks of that belonged to Nelson Mandela while he was serving a prison sentence in Robben Island. The two Notebooks mysteriously went missing after a raid at the prison.

Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF)

Jack Swart Collection

  • ZA COM NMAP 2012/32
  • Series
  • 1988 to 2012
Jack Swart was Mr Mandela's warder and chef from 7 Dec 1988 to 11 Feb 1990 at Victor Verster Prison. This collection includes notes by Mandela to Swart, correspondence, photographs, recipes and menus of the food Swart cooked for Mandela, and a manuscript of Swart's life story in Afrikaans. It includes a video clip of the drive from the Victor Verster House to the prison gates that Mandela would have taken on 11 Feb 1990 when he was released.

Swart, Jack

NMF_Smuggled_Letter_2_001.jpg

This item consists of a letter written by Nelson Mandela to the legal firm of Seedat Pillay & Co. that was smuggled out of Robben Island Prison. Mandela wished to appoint the firm to act on his behalf in legal proceedings against the Department of Prisons. Since the authorities refused to allow him contact with his attorneys, he had to use this "illegal" method to seek legal representation.

Mandela, Nelson Rolihlahla [use]

Judge Thumba Pillay Collection

  • ZA COM NMAP 2010/9
  • Series
  • 1959-01-01 - 1979-12-31
This series consists of two letters smuggled out of Robben Island in 1977. Mac Maharaj gave them to Judge Thumba Pillay of legal firm of Pillay Seedat & Co. The letters are written by Nelson Mandela and Ahmed Kathrada, both of them wishing to appoint the firm to act on their behalf in legal proceedings against the Department of Prisons. Since the authorities refused contact with their attorneys, they had to use this "illegal" method to seek legal representation. The collection includes an envelope that Judge Pillay had posted addressed to his law firm. He did this in the event that the Security Police questioned him about how he received the letters, he would be able to prove that they were posted anonymously to him.
A second donation of Judge Thumba Pillay contains correspondence and documents (mainly copies) pertaining to the case of Mandela vs Minister of Prisons.

Mandela, Nelson Rolihlahla [use]