Quote of the day by Nelson Mandela: “An ideal for which I am prepared to die…”

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.”

“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.”

These were the famous words of the late President Nelson Mandela on 20 April 1964, from the dock at the Rivonia Trial, where he stated that he was prepared to die for a democratic, non-racial South Africa.

Born in 1918, Mandela is revered worldwide as a symbol of moral leadership, democracy and social justice, earning more than 250 honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize.

As a young man, he emerged as a leading anti-apartheid activist, campaigning for equal rights in South Africa.

He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944 and initially championed non-violent resistance.

When peaceful protest failed to bring meaningful change, Mandela co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe, the ANC’s armed wing.

He played a key role in planning and authorising acts of sabotage aimed at apartheid infrastructure and symbols of state power.

In 1964, Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the apartheid government. It was this trial where he made the iconic above-mentioned quote.

He spent 27 years behind bars, much of it on Robben Island, where his prison number, 46664, later became a global emblem of freedom and resistance.

He was released on 11 February 1990 following sustained international pressure and negotiations with then-President F.W. de Klerk.

Mandela was elected ANC president in July 1991 and led the party into South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. That year, at the age of 74, he cast his first-ever vote.

The ANC won the election, and Mandela became South Africa’s first Black president.

The Rivonia Trial

Often referred to as “the trial that changed South Africa,” in October 1963, ten leading opponents of apartheid faced a possible death sentence.

Defendants included Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Kathrada, Denis Goldberg, Raymond Mhlaba, Elias Motsoaledi, and Andrew Mlangeni, who were charged with sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government.

Lionel Bernstein was also tried, while Harold Wolpe and Arthur Goldreich escaped before trial.

The defence team comprised of Joel Joffe, who was the instructing attorney, Bram Fischer, Vernon Berrange, Arthur Chaskalson and George Bizos.

The trial judge was Justice Quartus de Wet, with the Prosecution led by Dr Percy Yutar. The Verwoerd government was hoping for the maximum sentence for the accused, the death penalty.

From the outset, the defence team informed their clients that they should expect the worst. All ten accused pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In the Rivonia Trial, Mandela chose, instead of testifying, to make a speech from the dock.

He held the court spellbound for more than four hours. His speech, which was made at the beginning of the defence case, ended with the now-famous quote:

“During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.”

“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.”

“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.”