Roseberry Sonto interviewed by David Bailey 2007 Cape Town, South Africa.
"I remember at Victor Verster, on one Christmas, in 1986, we made an ANC flag design in prison, and we had a Christmas celebration in an ANC mode." [4:44]
Sonto describes how people unbanned the ANC, well before it happened officially. He tells of his excitement at coming into contact with the older generation of ANC leaders in prison - Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada, Raymond Mhlaba, and Andrew Mlangeni.
Mzunani Roseberry Sonto grew up in the reserves on the outskirts of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. In 1969, as a high school student he was the first chairperson of the Moltino African Cultural Youth Association. In the early 1980s, now living in Cape Town, Sonto became president of the Cape Youth Congress, and he helped mobilize support among the youth for the United Democratic Front. He worked closely with the ANC, although it still was an illegal organization. He was part of the delegation that met with Nelson Mandela the day before his release. Santo is now a member of Parliament.
