In prison they met Denis Goldberg and on Alexandre Moumbaris - not on Leonard Fontaine. [7] Goldberg distracted the warden while the three made their escape. While Tim - the technical mastermind - was sentenced to 12 years in jail, his friend Stephen got eight years. [19], By escaping, Moumbaris had reduced his sentence by five and a half years. Stephen and Tim began devising ways to break out as soon as they arrived. "Just in case, we had brought a chisel. He adds: I have probably different emotions as people. Its when it shoots for more historical import that it falls somewhat short. [21], In May 2011, Moumbaris was charged with making a "Public call to discrimination" and set to appear in court in Flers, in Normandy. In order to successfully escape from the prison in December 1979, Jenkin unlocked nine doors while Goldberg diverted the warden. I made the first key in the first week. He worked for the ANC Elections Briefing Unit from 1994 (the year of the first fully democratic elections in South Africa), before being appointed head of their Electronic Information Unit in Cape Town later that year. This, along with his generally scruffy appearance and his refusal to keep his cell tidy led to a bad reputation amongst the prison wardens meant he had never been promoted beyond the "B" group in his six years in prison, while the others had reached "A" within two. On December 11th, 1979, three white activists, Tim Jenkin, Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris, escaped from Pretoria Central Prison. They were both found guilty on one charge, with Jenkin receiving a 12-year sentence and Lee eight. In 2006 a dangerous inmate, Annanias Mathe (a serial rapist charged with 51 counts of murder), got out but was caught again two weeks later. My heart was racing. There he met and married a French woman, Marie-Jos. "[This] was hugely emotional," Stephen described The Daily Mirror how the first breakthrough made him feel. On arrival at Pretoria, a jail for white political prisoners, both men were so focused on escaping they even asked relatives to smuggle in money for taxi fares once they broke out. [2], In March 1988, Moumbaris was at the side of ANC Chief Representative Dulcie September in 1988 when she was shot and killed outside the office in Paris. . Ze worden op heterdaad betrapt en veroordeeld tot een jarenlange gevangenisstraf in Pretoria Central Prison. View our online Press Pack. [33][34], In May 2017, it was announced that production would start on a film of Jenkin's book, produced by David Barron and starring Daniel Radcliffe as Jenkin and Ian Hart as Goldberg. [2] Goldberg and the others decided to withdraw from the escape, with Goldberg continuing to be involved in the preparations. However, escaping - something no inmate had successfully done before - was going to be no easy task. Tiene 72 aos y ha escrito varios libros. As clunkily deployed in the [] "You are the white Mandela," says a ham-faced warden, all but spitting in the face of anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin upon his arrival at Pretoria Local Prison in 1978. Unwilling to take any more risks, they had to leave this final barrier untested until the night of the actual escape. The video features excerpts from interviews with Jenkin, Lee, Moumbaris and Goldberg filmed in 2012, in between re-enacted scenes of the prison escape. It was suspected South African agents may have raided the home for documents to use in Moumbaris' trial. Moumbaris was charged under the Terrorism Act in January 1973. "You get back to your cell and youd think, 'OK, its over, I can relax' but you couldnt.". The pair were initially kept in solitary confinement for a month before being charged with political "terrorism" in a trial in June 1978. Recalling their rather more successful attempt, Stephen explained: The sense of freedom was amazing. The system was never cracked and helped the ANC coordinate in the run up to Nelson Mandela's release from prison. There was enough explosive inside to lift about 500 pamphlets into the air. The fact that they were all in prison for their political activities and beliefs united them, and "as members of a revolutionary organisation [they] were disciplined and shared in [their] suffering collectively". Then, one day he was working in a carpentry workshop and it struck him that the key could be wooden. [9] His ongoing task of generating enthusiasm amongst the other inmates for the escape plan was onerous, and the stress affected his health. [5] He later wrote that he had "grown up a 'normal' complacent white South African" who "unthinkingly accepted the system and for twenty-one years never questioned it". Stephen and Tim had to open 11 doors in total, some right next to the guards' office. 12 'To build solidarity - that was my task', "Daniel Radcliffe to Star in Prison-Break Drama 'Escape From Pretoria', "Pretoria Prison break: Amazing story of the daring men who escaped notorious apartheid regime jail", "Adelaide transformed into apartheid-era Cape Town for Escape From Pretoria filming", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tim_Jenkin&oldid=1137067993, This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 16:48. Based on the real-life prison break of two political captives, Escape From Pretoria is a race-against-time thriller set in the tumultuous apartheid days of South Africa. Instead, 25 guerillas were infiltrated overland, with Moumbaris aiding with border reconnaissance and transport,[5] as commander of the receiving operation. Sneaking out of their cells at night, they soon managed to get through door four. lindbacken fastigheter [2] In 1995, Jenkin wrote a 6-part article series called Talking to Vula: The Story of the Secret Underground Communications Network of Operation Vula. [2], He and Jenkin carried out a first trial run of the escape plan, and were involved in a couple of scrapes which nearly led to discovery in the lead-up to the escape. Once the key was ready to go, they had to work out how to get the door open without the guards noticing. Escape From Pretoria, the political thriller Annan co-wrote and directed, is based on a 1987 memoir by Tim Jenkin, in which Jenkin relates his 1979 escape from Pretoria Central Prison,. Why? Jenkin and Leejoined by fellow inmate and French national Alex Moumbarisdecide to send the regime a clear message and escape. Fortunately marks on the wood showed where the key was jamming, so Tim knew which parts to file down. MORE : Daniel Radcliffe is a much better actor than the world is giving him credit for, MORE : Daniel Radcliffe says he wouldnt want to return to Harry Potter, Harry and Meghan break silence after Charles evicts them from Frogmore Cottage, FA Cup quarter-final draw: Manchester United play Fulham; Man City face Burnley, Roy Keane slams West Ham midfielder Declan Rice after 80m Arsenal transfer link, Girl killed in Florida shooting ran to mom for help yelling he shot me, Emmerdale spoilers: Triple exit as Amy and Matty leave the village with Kyle, Daniel Radcliffe is a much better actor than the world is giving him credit for, Daniel Radcliffe says he wouldnt want to return to Harry Potter, Do not sell or share my personal information. "You are the white Mandela," says a ham-faced warden, all but spitting in the face of anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin upon his arrival at Pretoria Local Prison in 1978. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. They then photocopied it and swapped it with other students. Stephen deliberately engineered a trip to the dentist that allowed him to pick up vital information for their potential route out. They were determined to fight the countys unjust apartheid regime which had enforced racial segregation since 1948. el de su arresto y el de su escape. In the 1990s he and others created an association dedicated to the memory of Joseph Stalin, later dissolved but re-formed, for his role in creating socialism, with free health and education. In my early years I had learned to pick the back door lock at home with a piece of wire, he explained. Radcliffe is playing a real-life person, Tim Jenkin, in a thrilling story based on a true story. Written and directed by Francis Annan, the historical thriller sheds light on how Stephen and Tim managed to defy all expectations and escape from the Pretoria Central Prison. So when his key worked, it was momentous. Through reading material banned by the government, they came to see the "naked reality" of apartheid and the undemocratic behavior of the ruling party, and felt a burning desire to effect positive change, which, Jenkin concluded, was only possible using unconstitutional means under the current regime. Over a long series of dummy runs that took over a year to complete, they got as far as door 10 the door to the outside. Stephen began to experiment with wooden keys the exact replicas used by prison guards during his compulsory shifts at the prison's wood workshop. Upon legal advice, both pleaded guilty to all charges. Copyright 2023 Distractify. [16][17][18][19], They were taken to Caledon Square Police Station, the head office of the Security Branch in Cape Town, where they were separated, interrogated and put into cells, without being informed of the charges or their rights. [39], Harry Potter of Jailbreaking: Tim Jenkin on Freedom, first fully democratic elections in South Africa, "Talking to Vula: The Story of the Secret Underground Communications Network of Operation Vula", "Press Conference by O. R. Tambo, Introducing Alexandre Moumbaris, Stephen Lee and Timothy Jenkin who Escaped from Prison in South Africa", "Should communities be able to design their own currencies? [11] The wardens were all Afrikaans-speaking and were not fluent in English, and while most of the prisoners were fairly fluent in Afrikaans, they were not familiar with the topics they talked about. 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