Diary of Events

1956
5 December	In dawn swoops throughout South Africa, 140 people of all races are arrested on a charge of high treason.
7 December	Application for bail refused.
12 December	Sixteen more arrested.
19 December	Preparatory Examination begins. Police fire on crowd outside the Drill Hall, which has been converted into a huge court.
21 December	Fresh application for bail granted and court adjourns until January 1957.
1957	Preparatory examination continues throughout the year.
1958
January	Preparatory Examination concludes; 91 people are committed for trial. Charges withdrawn against 65.
1 August	Trial opens in Pretoria before a Special Court com­posed of Mr Justice Rumpff, Mr Justice Kennedy and Mr Justice Ludorf. The accused are charged with high treason and two alternative charges under the Suppression of Communism Act.
	Mr IA Maisels, leader of the defence team, asks Mr Justice Rumpff and Mr Justice Ludorf to recuse themselves.
4 August	Mr Justice Ludorf recuses himself and is replaced by Mr Justice Bekker. Mr Justice Rumpff declines to recuse himself.
11 August	Mr Oswald Pirow, leader of the Crown team, dies and Mr J de Vos becomes leader of the team.
1960
10 March	The Crown case ends.
14 March	The Defence opens its case.
21 March	Sharpeville: 66 people shot dead by the police during anti-pass demonstration.
28 March	One-day strike called by African National Congress in protest against Sharpeville. Economic life in major centres paralysed.
30 March	State of Emergency declared. Twelve of those accused of high treason arrested in dawn raids, nineteen arrested outside court. Accused held in gaol through­out the Emergency, for five months. Accused Num­ber 24, Wilton Mkwayi, not arrested by police and goes into hiding, later leaving the country.
1 April	The trial is adjourned as a result of the State of Emergency.
26 April	The Court rules that the trial must go on. The accused cancel the mandate of their Counsel and conduct their own defence.
August	Defence counsel are recalled. Advocate Fischer applies for the recusal of Mr Justice Rumpff on the grounds of the doubt in the minds of the accused that they are getting a fair trial from him. Application refused.
31 August	State of Emergency lifted and accused released from gaol.
1 September	Crown makes unsuccessful application for re-­arrest of all accused.
7 October	Defence case closed.
7 November	Crown argument begins.
1961
March	The Crown argument ends after four full months. The Defence argument begins.
13 March	Elias Moretsele, the oldest of the accused, dies sud­denly of a heart attack.
23 March	After only three weeks of the Defence argument, the Court is adjourned so that the judges can study the position before continuing with the Defence argument.
29 March	The Court by a unanimous verdict finds the accused not guilty and they are discharged. Full judgement with reasons to be given later.

• Of the 30 accused, 24 are African, one coloured, three Indian and two white.
• Over 9 000 exhibits were handed into Court – 211 witnesses were called by the prosecution and 25 by the defence.
• The 30 men and women spent about 1 400 hours in the Special Criminal Court and travelled about 35 kilometres to and from Court.
• High treason is a capital offence under South African law and may carry the death penalty.