Nelson Mandela’s capture site is in Howick, about an hour and half outside of Durban. Today, there isn’t much there besides a small museum, a beautiful sculpture depicting Mandela’s profile, and a plaque at the exact spot he was captured. Mandela was driving through Howick, disguised as a chauffeur, when he was captured. He was sentenced to five years jail for having been out of the country illegally, before being put on trial with other ANC activists in the famous Rivonia Trial. It was at the end of this latter trial that he uttered his famous words, “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination … It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” He was sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island, eventually serving 27 years in jail.
-Serena Hawkey
