(JTA) — Denis Goldberg, a South African anti-apartheid activist who spent 22 years in jail after standing trial alongside Nelson Mandela, has died at the age of 87.
Goldberg died on Wednesday following a long struggle with lung cancer, Reuters reported.
Goldberg was arrested in 1963 alongside Mandela and other members of the armed wing of the African National Congress, which Goldberg joined in 1961. He was convicted of sabotage, sentenced to life imprisonment, and spent most of his 22 years in prison in solitary confinement before being released in 1985.
Israel interceded with South Africa on Goldberg’s behalf and he was allowed to leave South Africa for Israel after his release.
Goldberg was a vocal supporter of the campaign to boycott Israel and equated it with apartheid South Africa.
“He dedicated his life to achieving the better life we enjoy today and his revolutionary contribution reinforced the non-racial character of our struggle and of our democratic dispensation,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
