Criminal court case No. 253/1963 called The State versus N Mandela and Others, heard in the Supreme Court of South Africa (Transvaal Provincial Division)
Paper Records:
File cover with handwritten notes, including the sentences that were passed: The clerk of the court recorded the sentences that were passed together with the names of the accused on the cover of a file in blue ink.
Extracts of evidence by state witnesses (3 vols.): These volumes include records by the attorney for the accused, Mr. B Fischer, applying for the postponement of the proceedings and the reply by Dr Yutar, the State’s main prosecutor. Further records include the verbatim transcriptions of evidence given by state witnesses.
Evidence for defence (1 vol.): Include verbatim transcriptions of evidence given by Ahmed Kathrada, Raymond Mhlabo, Lionel Bernstein and Govan Mbeki..
Rivonia Exhibits (1 vol.): The exhibits include documents seized by the police at Liliesleaf and deals with topics such as the Transkei; Operation Mayibuye; The new draft programme of the South African Communist Party (SACP); names and addresses of ANC and SACP members; a copy of Sibanye, a newsletter; documents discussing problems in the democratic movement, the Nationalists invasion scare, the general predictions for 1963; handwritten notes on freedom movements elsewhere in Africa; an article by E Rosenthal on General De Wet; a syllabus on the fundamental principles of Marxism; a pamphlet named A Call to the Youth; a manual on rock blasting; the rules of the SACP; sketch of Tunisia; Handwritten notes on the Kenya Youth Wing Organisations; SACP newsletter on the China / India border dispute; Statement by the SACP on conditions in South Africa; Document on the differences in the Communist movement; invoices from Ace Auto electricians; Press statement by Nelson Mandela on 26 June 1961.
State's Concluding Address (4 vol's): These volumes are divided into three parts. The first part deals with a factual analysis of documentary exhibits handed in, and of oral testimony given, by state witnesses. Part two deals with a factual analysis of the documentary exhibits handed in, and of the oral testimony given, by state witnesses (continued). The third part deals with the Rivonia exhibits.
Two volumes consisting of Judge's remarks in passing sentence; The Attorney General for the Transvaal's statement explaining which of the accused was found guilty of what offences; a part of the judgement and verbatim transcriptions of the court proceedings
Judgement (1 vol):
Dictabelts
On average the recordings are usually around half an hour long. There are many which are shorter than this and only a few which exceed 30:00 minutes in duration. Each recording has been assigned a unique reference label which indicates the volume, envelope page, and original dictabelt number relevant to it. These references are important as they correspond with the file-names assigned to each recording as found in the inventories of the eight volumes of dictabelt records.