BOOK EXCERPT: ‘No time for tears’ on Robben Island: When Lilian Ngoyi visited Madiba in prison
Martha Evans’s biography of anti-apartheid activist Lilian Ngoyi, one of the leaders of the 1956 Women’s March, is published to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the march. This excerpt details her visit with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island in 1973.
In 1973, anti-apartheid activist Lilian Ngoyi met Nelson Mandela on Robben Island, during her visit on August 25th. Ngoyi, a leader of the 1956 Women's March, arrived at the island's Jetty 1, Quay 6, after paying the fifty-cent ferry fee. After sitting through a short wait, she and other visitors were escorted by a prison warder to the visitors' centre, where they could observe but not enter the prison.
There, Ngoyi met Mandela, who greeted her warmly, saying, "Ohh! Lily, my dearest." Ngoyi, however, was not allowed to physically interact with Mandela, as they were separated by a thick pane of glass. Mandela expressed optimism about the future, stating that apartheid would become a thing of the past. The highly controlled visit marked a brief respite from Mandela's life in prison, and was the last time Ngoyi and Mandela would see each other.
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