Three granite pieces from an intended set of eight slabs each representing the prison sentences of the eight Rivonia Trial prisoners

At the Rivonia trial, in 1964, Judge Quartus de Wet sentenced eight men to life imprisonment: They were all released towards the end of the Apartheid era. Prisoners count the days of their sentence by scoring a vertical hack each day. After six days a diagonal is scored across the verticals to close a ‘week’ of days. This is done on a wall, in a private place, perhaps in a cell or toilet. The sentences completed by the Rivonia prisoners are:

Nelson Mandela 11 Jun 1964 - 11 Feb 1990 (9,377 days)
Ahmed Kathrada 11 Jun 1964 - 15 Oct 1989 (9,269 days)
Walter Sisulu 11 Jun 1964 - 15 Oct 1989 (9,269 days)
Raymond Mhlaba 11 Jun 1964 - 15 Oct 1989 (9,269 days)
Elias Motsoaledi 11 Jun 1964 - 15 Oct 1989 (9,269 days)
Andrew Mlangeni 11 Jun 1964 - 15 Oct 1989 (9,269 days)
Govan Mbeki 11 Jun 1964 - 5 Nov 1987 (8,548 days)
Dennis Goldberg 11 Jun 1964 - 1985

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