The Escape from Marshall Square

Arthur Goldreich and Harold Wolpe (a leading member of the ANC and SACP) escaped from Marshall Square in Johannesburg after bribing a prison guard. After hiding in various safe houses for two months, they escaped through Swaziland dressed as priests with the aid of Manni Brown, who posed as a tour operator as a cover to deliver weapons to the ANC.

Goldreich and Wolpe’s escape was symbolically very important. Following the raid on Liliesleaf, the Apartheid government believed that it had crushed the opposition. The escape proved otherwise, and was a major victory for the opposition after the raid.

Wolpe’s escape saw his brother-in-law, James Kantor arrested and being charged with the same crimes as Mandela and his co-accused.