Joel Joffe, who defended Nelson Mandela and the ANC at Rivonia Trial, dies
In his autobiography, late president Nelson Mandela described Joffe’s role at the trial as being ‘the general behind the scenes in our defence’
London — People have paid tribute to Joel Joffe, the lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela in the trial that led to the anti-apartheid icon being jailed. Lord Joffe died on Sunday at the age of 85, said Oxfam, the aid agency which he chaired. The Nelson Mandela Foundation said the human rights lawyer died in London. Joffe was a key part of Mandela’s defence team in the 1963-4 Rivonia Trial, where Mandela was given a life sentence for sabotage against the apartheid state. After leaving for Britain, he founded a big insurance firm and later became a parliamentarian spearheading the campaign for assisted dying for the terminally ill. Leading British anti-apartheid campaigner Peter Hain said Joffe was an "iconic figure" who never sought the limelight — "he just supported everybody else". Joffe was "a totally generous person, warm, passionate, and he continued to fly the flag for the anti-apartheid struggle and subsequently the new SA," Hain said. Joffe was born to a Jewish family in Johann...
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