Political Activism to Fight Apartheid South Africa
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
I watched the 2020 movie, Escape from Pretoria, on the Indie Channel. It is about two male activists in South Africa who are trying to revolt against their fascist government to bring freedom and rights for the black Africans so that everyone in Africa can live under the same equal rights. Directed by Francis Annan, written by Francis Annan and LH Adams, and produced by Mark Blaney, Jackie Sheppard, David Barron, Michelle Krumm, and Gary Hamilton, this movie starred Daniel Radcliffe, Daniel Webber, Ian Hart, Mark Leonard Winter, and other actors. This movie is based on a book, Inside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison, by Tim Jenkin.
This movie is based on a true story about Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white South Africans, who were fighting the apartheid in South Africa. They were arrested and sent to prison, where Jenkin received a twelve-year sentence while Lee received an eight-year sentence.
While in prison, they met other inmates and devised plans to escape. They obviously had a lot of time on their hands in prison, giving them opportunities to think about and dream up various strategies together. An inmate, Denis Goldberg, was much older than them, and he was serving four life sentences for fighting against apartheid. He taught them some basic tricks and strategies to fight back, but he wanted to serve his sentence instead of escaping. Jenkin and Lee ended up devising plans with another inmate, Leonard Fontaine. Tim appeared to be an artist, drawing blueprints and plans to create keys that will help them unlock prison doors. He created various wooden keys. Jenkin used the wood shop and made wooden keys during nighttime hours. They hid these wooden keys inside a jar, before burying the jar in the prison garden, while pretending to take care of the plants. They later performed a test run with the keys.
Jenkin, Lee, and Fontaine discussed their escape plan with other inmates, encouraging them to join, but the others were scared they would be caught, tortured, and killed. They preferred to play it safe and serve their sentence. The three men decided to escape on their own. They collected all the hidden wooden keys, before changing their clothes into regular street clothes so that they can better blend in with the outside crowd. They hid inside the closet. Goldberg helped them by making noises and calling the guards in order to distract the guards. All of the wooden keys worked on the doors, except for the last door, in which Fontaine ended up breaking the door in their desperation to free themselves. They noticed the gate was open, as they slowly, cautiously, and stealthily escaped out the gate, one by one, walking quietly and nonchalantly, similar to a regular local. They approached a taxicab for non-whites and paid the black driver to drive them out of Pretoria.
Their escape led to the biggest manhunt. But they successfully escaped to Mozambique and Tanzania, before going to London. They continued protesting against Apartheid South Africa with the ANC until they were pardoned in 1991. Goldberg was freed from Pretoria in 1985, after serving 22 years in Pretoria Prison; in 1992, after the three men were exonerated, Apartheid South Africa finally ended.
Timothy Peter Jenkin was born in 1948. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, he was a writer, anti-apartheid activist, and former political prisoner. While working factory jobs in UK during the seventies, he became interested in sociology. During the end of 1970, Jenkin enrolled at the University of Cape Town and studied Sociology courses until he graduated with a BA in Social Science in 1973. He eventually wrote a book about his Pretoria Prison experience as well as detailing his escape. Tim is now about 76 or 77.
Tim Jenkin had escaped with Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris.
Stephen Bernard Lee was born in 1951 in South Africa. While at University of Cape Town, he was pursuing Business Science and Marxism. But he later switched his major to Sociology in 1971, when he met Tim Jenkin in Sociology class. They both became friends, interested in certain literature that was banned by the apartheid government. They soon realized that the sociology material was reinforcing the apartheid system. They wanted to make positive changes. They joined the ANC, but they had to move to UK in order to work with the ANC. They both used leaflet bombs in their activism. They both eventually received a Master’s degree in Sociology, as they continued their undercover work. But by now, the police surveillance was carefully watching them. While in prison, Lee’s father gave Stephen a book, Papillon, which eventually inspired Stephen and Tim to work on an escape plan. Stephen Lee is now about 73 or 74.
Alex Moumbaris was born in Egypt to Greek parents, but he was raised in Australia. He later lived and worked in UK, until he was imprisoned in Pretoria. He now lives in France. He is a political activist against South Africa’s Apartheid Regime during the seventies. He married a French woman, Marie-Jose. He eventually became involved with the ANC. He later met Tim Jenkin in prison, and he immediately joined their escape plans. After their escape, he went back to France to his wife, his son, Boris, and his mother. His wife gave birth to their daughter, Zoe, on December 11,1981, on the anniversary of their Pretoria escape. He continued his activism in France.