Ahmed Kathrada interviewed by Peter Alegi and Bob Vassen March 24, 2006 East Lansing, Michigan, United States.
"He went through document after document... 'This is ... undiluted communism' ... " [7:42]
Ahmed Kathrada, one of the 30 people accused in the 4-1/2 year Treason Trial, shared examples of ridiculous evidence brought by the prosecution.
Born in 1929, Ahmed “Kathy” Kathrada dropped out of high school to do political work, participating in many campaigns of the Congress Alliance. He was active in the Transvaal Indian (Youth) Congress and the South African Communist Party and was detained and put under house arrest. He went underground in 1963 and was one of the accused at the Rivonia Trial, although he was not a member of the ANC military wing. He spent 18 years on Robben Island, where he earned two BA degrees and helped Nelson Mandela edit his autobiography. In 1994, he was elected to Parliament and was a senior advisor to President Mandela.
