5 Sharpeville

Chapter 5 Sharpeville Nelson and his fellow defendants did not have to live in jail during the trial. They were let out on bail. They had to pay the government money as a promise they wouldn't escape to another country. When Nelson went home he found an empty house. His wife,

Evelyn, had left and wanted a divorce. Nelson later said, "I could not give up my life in the struggle, and she could not live with my devotion to something other than herself and the family." They were divorced in 1958. The "Treason Trial," as it came to be called, lasted from 1956 to 1961. When Nelson wasn't at court he threw himself into his law practice with Oliver Tambo. Tambo's charges were unexpectedly dropped after the first year, so he had more freedom to help black South Africans accused of crimes. As the months went by, charges were dropped against more of the defendants. By 1959 only thirty of the 156 defendants were still facing charges in this trial, including Nelson.

One day during the trial Nelson glimpsed a woman waiting for a bus. She was beautiful. He longed to see her again, but he had no idea who she was. Some weeks later, the same woman arrived at his office. She had come with her brother to ask for legal help.

Her name was Nomzamo Winifred Madikizela— Winnie for short. Her name meant "she who strives." She was one of the first black hospital social workers in South Africa. Nelson asked her out for Indian food. Unlike Nelson's ex-wife Evelyn, Winnie was passionate about the ANC and politics. After that very first date, he proposed to Winnie. And she said yes! They were married on June 14, 1958. Winnie loved to watch her husband making speeches or arguing for civil rights. She attended protests and was arrested. She and Nelson had a baby girl, Zenani (called Zeni),

in 1959. Meanwhile, the ANC was changing. Nelson dreamed of a South Africa where white and black people lived together as friends. He thought the ANC should reach out to white citizens who were against apartheid. But many in the ANC did not want to work with white people. They didn't trust white South Africans. They did not want to compromise with the white apartheid government. In 1959 a civil rights leader, Robert Sobukwe, left the ANC. He founded PAC, the Pan Africanist Congress. Its slogan was "Our Land." In March 1960, PAC asked blacks without their passbooks to approach policemen and get arrested on purpose. They hoped the jails would get so full that the government would have no choice but to get rid of the laws. Nelson thought this approach would put people

in danger without doing much good. Most people who participated in PAC's campaign