When Ahmed Kathrada was released from prison in 1989 together with Walter Sisulu and Raymond Mhlaba after serving twenty-six years of a life sentence, more than 5,000 people came to Soweto to give him and his colleagues a hero's welcome. A veteran of the anti-apartheid movement who was imprisoned with Nelson Mandela and other African leaders, Kathrada had been one of the famous Rivonia trial defendants and incarcerated as a political prisoner on Robben Island and at Pollsmoor prison. No Bread for Mandela is the gripping story of Kathrada's lifelong battle for justice in South Africa. At age seventeen, Kathrada left school to become a youth organizer for the Transvaal Passive Resistance Council and assisted with uniting various opposition groups under the leadership of the African National Congress. Arrested in 1963 at the age of thirty-four on charges of sabotage and conspiracy against the South African government, Kathrada was sentenced to life in prison. Although he, Nelson Mandela, and other African prisoners were serving the same sentence, under prison regulations of the apartheid regime, Kathrada, who is of Indian descent, received better treatment. Outraged at the inequities of apartheid and unwilling to concede defeat even in prison, Kathrada and his fellow prisoners continued the struggle for equality and justice. In prison, the most extreme form of protest and struggle was hunger strikes. Kathrada also was instrumental in organizing a covert communication network between prisoners in different sections of the prison and with the outside world. This riveting memoir, spanning the history of modern South Africa, sheds new light on the struggle against apartheid. No Bread for Mandela is the moving and insightful account of a man who served among a loyal cadre of the African National Congress and helped in shaping his country's history. Kathrada's life is an inspiration and a model for everyone who seeks peace, justice, and reconciliation.

No Bread for Mandela: Memoirs of Ahmed Kathrada, Prisoner No. 468/64

Biographies & Memoirs

Kathrada, Ahmed

Historical

University Press of Kentucky

In June 1964, South Africa's most visible antiapartheid activists were sentenced to life in prison in the infamous Rivonia Trial. These men included Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Denis Goldberg, and, the youngest of the group, Ahmed Kathrada―or "Kathy," as he was called by his friends. Kathrada spent the better part of the next three decades imprisoned on Robben Island, enduring lengthy stays in solitary confinement, frequent abuse from the guards, and the desperation of "a life stripped bare" within the walls of the prison. During his confinement, Kathrada struggled to occupy his mind, often turning to literature to find solace. Drawing from the prison library's meager book collection, he recorded quotations he considered inspiring and profound, jotting down proverbs, poetry, excerpts from newspapers, and passages from books and magazines. A Simple Freedom seamlessly weaves this material together with Kathrada's own words describing the 1964 verdict, life in the prison, and his friendships with other activists who shared his fate. Evocatively illustrated with photographs depicting the realities of life on Robben Island, this important, poignant book offers an intimate look at how one of the world's most well-known political activists lived day to day as Prisoner No. 468/64.

A Simple Freedom: The Strong Mind of Robben Island Prisoner No. 468/64

Couzens, Tim

Community & Culture

Without much fanfare Ahmed Kathrada worked alongside Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and other giants in the struggle to end racial discrimination in South Africa. He faced house arrest and many court trials related to his activism until, finally, a trial for sabotage saw him sentenced to life imprisonment alongside Mandela and six others.
Conversations with a Gentle Soul has its origins in a series of discussions between Kathrada and Sahm Venter about his opinions, encounters and experiences. Throughout his life, Kathrada has refused to hang on to negative emotions such as hatred and bitterness. Instead, he radiates contentment and the openness of a man at peace with himself. His wisdom is packaged within layers of optimism, mischievousness and humour, and he provides insights that are of value to all South Africans.

Conversations with a Gentle Soul

Venter, Sahm

Leaders & Notable People

Picador Africa

Ahmed Kathrada’s autobiography is a moving read about a man who not only observed, but also actively participated in the shaping of a country’s history. Born a shopkeeper’s son in a small rural town, he became the trusted confidante of some of the most prominent political figures in South Africa’s struggle history, among them Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu. Politically active at the age of 10, Kathrada devoted his life to the freedom struggle in South Africa. Persecuted, driven underground and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Rivonia Trial, Kathrada spent 18 years on Robben Island, where he grew close to both Mandela and Sisulu, whom he regarded as a second father. On the island, in his tiny garden patch, Kathrada buried the original draft of Mandela’s autobiography, until such time it could be smuggled to London. In this book, truly a collection of memoirs, he affords us rare glimpses into his and other activists’ lives during the struggle and imprisonment, and sketches poignant cameos of those who would become South Africa’s post-apartheid leaders. This is a fascinating book about a modest man who experienced a momentous life.

Memoirs

Penguin Random House South Africa

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