95-year-old Andrew Mlangeni, the last surviving co-defendant convicted with Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia Trial of 1964, which saw anti-apartheid activists jailed, has died.
He died after being admitted to a military hospital in Pretoria because of an abdominal complaint, according to a BBC report.
His death “signifies the end of a generational history and places our future squarely in our hands,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said.
The Rivonia Trial, lasting from October 1963 to June 1964, is widely considered to have been a pivotal point in the fight against the white minority government in South Africa and brought Nelson Mandela to the world stage.
Mr Mandela and Mr Mlangeni were convicted along with six others of sabotage and served long prison terms. Mr Mandela’s was the longest, 27 years, until his release in 1990.
Mr Mlangeni served 26 years incarcerated for most of the time on Robben Island. He was released in 1989.
