The Individual, Auto/biography and History in South Africa

Indeed, it seems as if there is a genealogy of such interventions going back at least to the
early 1960s. Among first efforts at the production of Mandela’s life through biography
occurred at this time through the work of Mary Benson and Ruth First.
During 1957, for some of the duration of the Treason Trial, Mary Benson had worked as
secretary of the Treason Trial’s Defence Fund. By day, during the trial, Benson lunched
with defendants in a garden opposite the court, while at night she dined with members of
the defence team. Many years before, she had sought advice from author, Alan Paton,
about African people about whom she claimed she was “still hopelessly ignorant”, and
about how she could meet them. She had also expressed a desire “to work with the
Natives”. 233 The Treason Trial afforded her the opportunity to give effect to such desires
on South African soil.
Much of the publicity and support work surrounding the Treason Trial took shape as an
emphasis on political personalities. This took the form of photographic portraiture, with
Eli Weinberg’s collage of group shots of all 156 accused. But it also saw the production of
mini‐profiles of all 156 accused alongside pen‐pictures in a publicity booklet published in
1957. These were of 20‐40 words in length, with information on the birth and occupation
of the accused and details on their political involvement. The profiles were dominated by
a more extended focus on Albert Luthuli and a more prominent portrait. Grouped
together over seven pages, the mini‐biographies were seen as constituting “a true cross
section of our people”. 234 It is more than likely that Mary Benson assisted in the
preparation of this publication and more generally in the biographical work that was an
important aspect of solidarity activities around the trial.
The Treason Trial also made it possible for Benson to forge “invaluable connections” in
the Congress Movement. These were the connections and contacts that enabled her to
233 Mary Benson, A Far Cry: The Making of a South African, Randburg: Ravan Writers Series, 1996 (First
published in 1989), pp 53, 58, 117, 127.
234 South Africaʹs Treason Trial, Johannesburg: “Africa!” Publications, 1957, especially pp 18‐24. Another
‘biographical’ publication that emerged out of the Treason Trial was Anthony Sampson’s The Treason
Cage, published in 1958.
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