Denis Goldberg, a struggle veteran of the calibre of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Bram Fischer, sadly passed away on 29 April. He was 87. Among others, Goldberg will be remembered for the Rivonia trial of 1964 during which he was found guilty on charges of sabotage and plans to overthrow the apartheid regime. He was handed four life sentences as one of the founding members of uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK). 
Apart from Goldberg’s active commitment to the struggle, he will be remembered for his compassion for society’s poor and vulnerable. As a white political prisoner, Goldberg was incarcerated at Pretoria Central prison where Bram Fischer was also kept. It is told that when Fischer became too weak to walk because of cancer, Goldberg carried him in his arms. The new Bram Fischer exhibition in the National Museum salutes the lives and sacrifices not only of Bram Fischer but also his comrades, like Denis Goldberg.
Dennis Goldberg, in his capacity of technical officer of MK is also credited with establishing the liberation army’s first training centre inside South Africa. Together with the Western Cape regional high command of Gayika Tshawe, Solwandle (Looksmart) Ngudle, Elijah Loza, Mountain Qumbela and Felinyaniso Njamela, Goldberg helped organise a training camp at Mamre, outside Cape Town, in December 1962. The arrest of two recruits who were scheduled to being smuggled out of the country, however, led to the arrest of Mountain Qumbela, and then the entire regional command, in 1963. As a result, the training centre had to be abandoned early. In addition, Albie Sachs was arrested and detained under the notorious 90 – Days Law which provided for long-term detention without trial for the purposes of interrogation. As a direct result of this camp, Looksmart Khulile Ngudle died in detention on the night of 4/5 September in Pretoria. Goldberg’s involvement resulted in his involved being added to the charge-sheet for the Rivonia Trial.
In 2009, Goldberg became the fifth recipient of the Order of Luthuli (Silver) – an award, a national order inaugurated on 30 November 2003, granted by the President of South Africa, for contributions in the following fields: (i) the struggle for democracy, (ii) building democracy and human rights, (iii) nation-building, (iv) justice and peace, and (v) conflict resolution. Named after former African National Congress leader Chief Albert Luthuli, who was South Africa’s first Nobel Peace Prize winner. It has three classes:
- Gold (OLG), for exceptional contributions,
- Silver (OLS), for excellent contributions,
- Bronze (OLB), for outstanding contributions.
Images:
- Dennis Goldberg in 1963 – Credit: Jack Leibowitz / The Guardian
- Goldberg/Mandela – Credit: Dennis Goldberg
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