Lord Joffe recalls the release of Nelson Mandela (From Swindon Advertiser)

Lord Joffe recalls the release of Nelson Mandela

8:00pm Thursday 11th February 2010 in News By Scott McPherson

TWENTY years ago Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years in prison. Among those remembering that historic day is Lord Joel Joffe.

Lord Joffe, who lives in Liddington, was the human rights lawyer who defended Mandela in the famous Rivonia trial of 1963 to ‘64.

On February 11, 1990, Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison, in Paarl, in Western Cape, marking an end to his 27 years in jail.

The event was broadcast live across the world and watched by millions.

Lord Joffe has looked back at the time when he was a human rights lawyer in South Africa who was asked to defend Mandela.

He said: “I first came across him when he was charged with sabotage in 1963.

“And although I’d met him once before, we were introduced but never even spoke.

“So I met him really for the first time in the prison interview room in Pretoria.

“It was a difficult trial, but a very interesting one. They were accused of sabotage, and what Nelson Mandela and the other accused decided to do was to accept responsibility for anything they had done, so they wouldn’t deny their involvement.

“What they decided to do was to turn the trial into a trial of the government. So where they were being charged personally, much of the purpose of the defence was to put the government on trial in the court of world opinion.”

Finally in 1990 the South African president FW de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC and announced Mandela would be released from prison, paving the way towards multi-racial democracy.

After South Africa’s first multi-racial elections Mandela became president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

“He’s a very wonderful man, and he’s got great warmth and charisma,”said Lord Joffe.

“So it was again a great privilege to see him and, of course, he’s very much changed now.

At the trial he was a big burly man, and now he’s frail, but when he stands up to talk it’s all the old flair and strength.”

After the trial Lord Joffe came the UK and worked in the financial services industry, setting up Hambro Life Assurance in Swindon in 1970.

He has also worked with Oxfam in various roles between 1982 and 2001, including being chairman from 1995 to 2001.

Lord Joffe was made a life peer in 2000. He still speaks fondly of the man he defended more than 45 years ago.

He said: “He’s the world’s most famous person. He is just so remarkable and, yes ,it’s a fairytale ending, but it’s the fairy who really suffered in order to get the recognition which he deserves.”