Freedom Fighters-

Denis Goldberg
Han, Rashi, Kahu, Andy
 Denis Goldberg
Denis Theodore Goldberg was born in Cape Town, Cape Province on April 11th, 1933. His
parents were communists from London, England. Growing up in a mixed race area in
Observatory, Cape Town, he was not a stranger to the inequalities and injustices people of
color faced in South Africa. In 2018, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away
on 29 April 2020. His son, David Goldberg, took over for him and is now a part of the Denis
Goldberg Legacy Foundation(DGLF)(Sahistory).
Fig 1. “Western Cape province, S.Af.” Encyclopædia
Britannica, Inc.

Denis is mainly known for his inovlement in the resistance against

Aparthied. Throughout his life he witnessed the racial segregation of
people of color, because of this, he was passionate in the ressistance
agasit Aparthied.

Fig 2. “Denis Goldberg” Sahistory.org.za, 2013

Background- Apartheid
● Where? South Africa
● When? 1964 - 1994
● Why? South African don’t receive the equality as others so they call for their rights
● How is it successful?After years of campaign against aparatheid, it was ended in 1994 after
the elections in South Africa
● Map where it happened:

Where Dennis Goldberg is prisoned

(white section of Pretoria-Central-Prison):
Apartheid

Apartheid was a political and social system that

existed from 1948 until the early 1990s in South
Africa and South West Africa that enforced racial
segregation of the non white community.

-> Initiated when National Party, led by Daniel F. Malan,

gained office and passed the Apartheid Legislation.

The Population Registration Act of 1950

classified all South Africans as:
- Bantu (all Black Africans)
- Coloured (those of mixed race)
- Asian (Indian and Pakistani) “Bantustan territories (also known as Black homelands or
Black states) in South Africa during the apartheid era.”
- White
Fig 2. “Bantustans” Encyclopædia Britannica
Crimes against humanity:
● The Population Registration Act separated the races into different land areas(living,
education, operating businesses, or owning land)
● People of color were prohibited from encroaching on “White areas” (Land act)
● Interracial marriage/relationships were forbidden
(Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act -1949)
● The government was allowed to detain anyone they thought had
“communist” aims (The Suppression of Communism Act -1950)
● Police brutality was enforced (The Indemnity Act -1961)
(Encyclopædia Britannica)

Effects:
● Negative effect on the lives of POC
● Human dignity of “Non Whites” were violated
● “Non-white’s” safety and wellbeing were in danger
● Impact on South African children
(Hickson)
Fig 4. “Apartheid-era sign”, Encyclopædia
Britannica Fig 4. “a beach in apartheid-era South
Africa”, Encyclopædia Britannica
Denis Goldberg’s Involvement

Denis Goldberg joined the underground Communist Party, a resistance against Apartheid and took
part in demonstrations of strikes, violent protests, and sabotage.

He fought along with Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, and many more in the Rivonia
Trial which lasted for 8 months and is often referred to as "the trial that changed South Africa”

Goldberg had the dilemma of whether to take action or conform to the majority of society. Even
though he was White, he persevered through the social pressures that his community had
implicated and chose to not be a bystander. By taking part in strikes and protests, he was risking
his freedom, safety, and even sometimes his life.

As a consequence, On july 11th 1963 Goldberg was arrested and tried in the Rivonia Trial.
Despite that, he was later released from jail with the charges dropped.
Connection to Human Rights and SDG
SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing The good health and wellbeing of people of color in South
Africa was in danger due to the Aparthied legislation

Denis Goldberg’s fight against Apartheid is directly related to SDG 10: reduced inequalities
becasause his goal was to end the segregation and discrimination of people of color in South
Africa in a time of the White rule

Even though Goldberg was not part of the African American community, he was a global citizen
that was witnessing the problems. He was a bystander who chose to stand up for people being
mistreated. He helped improved human rights.

He also helped improved SDG 10: Reduced inequalities and SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong
institutions.
Human Rights and Humanitarian act
The Apartheid legislation violated many human rights under the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR)

● Article 1- All human beings are born free and equal in

dignity and rights
● Article 2- Everyone is entitled to all the rights and
freedoms set forth without distinction of any kind, such as
race, colour, sex, language, religion
● Article 5- No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
● Article 6- All are equal before the law and are entitled
without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.

(United Nations)
Fig 7. Cowell, Alan. “Denis Goldberg, South African
Denis Goldberg’s involvement and self sacrifices in the Freedom Fighter, Is Dead at 87.” The New York Times
resistance against Aparthied lead to the improvement of the
lives of POC in South Africa eventually renewing their access to
the human rights.
 Works cited

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "apartheid". Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2021,

https://www.britannica.com/topic/apartheid. Accessed 8 November 2021.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Western Cape". Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Jul. 2019,

https://www.britannica.com/place/Western-Cape. Accessed 4 November 2021.

Cowell, Alan. “Denis Goldberg, South African Freedom Fighter, Is Dead at 87.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 May

2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/08/world/africa/denis-goldberg-dead.html. Accessed on 2 Nov 2021.

“Denis Theodore Goldberg.” Denis Theodore Goldberg | South African History Online,

https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/denis-theodore-goldberg. Accessed on 2 Nov 2021.

Hickson, Joyce, and Susan Kriegler. “Childshock: The Effects of Apartheid on the Mental Health of South Africa’s Children.”

International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, vol. 14, no. 2, June 1991, pp. 141–154, 10.1007/bf00117733. Accessed

on 8 Nov 2021.

“Rivonia Trial 1963 - 1964.” South African History Online, https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/rivonia-trial-1963-1964. Accessed on 4

Nov 2021.

“The Nordic Africa Institute.” Denis Goldberg, https://nai.uu.se/library/resources/liberation-africa/interviews/denis-goldberg.html.

Accessed on 4 Nov 2021.

United Nations. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations, United Nations, 10 Dec. 1948,

www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights. Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.