James Kantor (26 February 1927 – 2 February 1974) was a South African lawyer and writer. James Kantor was born in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

to a Jewish family. A prominent Johannesburg lawyer in the 1950s, Kantor was attorney for

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

and imprisoned with him during the

Rivonia Trial The Rivonia Trial was a trial that took place in apartheid-era South Africa between 9 October 1963 and 12 June 1964, after a group of anti-apartheid activists were arrested on Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia. The farm had been the secret location f ...

. He later immigrated to England and wrote an autobiography.

Rivonia Trial

Kantor was one of the defence lawyers in the

until his brother-in-law and legal partner

Harold Wolpe Harold Wolpe (14 January 1926 – 19 January 1996) was a South African lawyer, sociologist, political economist and anti-apartheid activist. He was arrested and put in prison in 1963 but escaped and spent 30 years in exile in the United Kingdom. ...

, one of the accused, managed to escape. At this stage, Kantor was himself arrested and charged with the same crimes as

Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the coun ...

and the other defendants although he had no involvement with the ANC or MK. Harold Hanson and

Harry Schwarz Harry Heinz Schwarz (13 May 1924 – 5 February 2010) was a South African lawyer, statesman, and long-time Internal resistance to South African apartheid, political opposition leader against apartheid in South Africa who eventually served as th ...

, a close friend and a well-known politician, stepped in to act as his defence lawyers in the trial. After aggressive treatment by the prosecutor

Percy Yutar Percy Yutar (29 July 1911 – 13 July 2002) was a South African lawyer who became the country's first Jewish attorney-general. He was the state prosecutor in the Rivonia trial in which anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela and seven others were ...

, who sought to portray Kantor as a vital cog of MK, finally Judge

Quartus de Wet Quartus de Wet (10 March 1899 – 18 December 1980) was a South African judge who served as Judge President of the Transvaal Provincial Division of the Supreme Court of South Africa. Early life and education Born in 1899 in Pretoria, he was ...

discharged Kantor, stating "Accused No. 8 has no case to answer".

Later life

Kantor fled South Africa and settled in London, working in publications for the film industry. He married and he and his wife Barbara had two daughters and he also adopted Barbara's two sons from a previous marriage. He wrote an autobiography, called ''A Healthy Grave''.''A Healthy Grave'', back cover However, his health had never recovered from the harsh treatment while in prison awaiting trial, and he died of a massive

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in 1974.

Notes

References

* Kantor, James. ''A Healthy Grave - An Apartheid Prison Memoir'', (1967) London, Hamish Hamilton * - -, (1969) Berlin, Seven Seas *

External links

South African History Online - James Kantor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kantor, James 1974 deaths 1927 births South African Jews Jewish South African anti-apartheid activists South African emigrants to the United Kingdom 20th-century South African lawyers