Escape from Pretoria

by Tim Jenkin

Cover of the the book

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How did three political prisoners break out of one of South Africa's top security prisons? Angry and embarrassed by the escape, the apartheid Security Branch forced one of the warders to say he had been bribed to help them. But the truth was quite different.

Escape from Pretoria shows how patience, singlemindedness and meticulous attention to detail got the prisoners out of their cells and through 14 locked doors...to freedom.

It is, however, much more than just an escape story. It is an account of how a white South Afican became conscious of the injustice on which his privileged life was based and chose to throw in his lot with the oppressed black majority of South Africa by joining the liberation struggle. (Cover description from the original book).

Escape from Pretoria was first published by Kliptown Books, London, in April 1987. The book was republished by Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd in 2003, under the title "Inside Out - Escape from Pretoria Prison", ISBN 1-919931-50-3. See www.jacana.co.za
Copyright © Tim Jenkin

Contents

Preface

Breakout!

Part One: Getting In
  1. Recruitment
  2. Underground
  3. Detention
  4. Awaiting Trial
  5. Trial

    Part Two: Getting Out

  6. We Meet the Comrades
  7. First Approaches
  8. The Escape Group Expands
  9. First Plans
  10. First Escape Date
  11. The Second Date
  12. Stage One
  13. Stage Two
  14. Another Stage Two - or Out?
  15. Escape!

    Part Three: Getting Away
  16. The Long Walk
  17. Swaziland, Mozambique
  18. Angola, Zambia, Tanzania
  19. Consequences