But we got away with it. My heart was racing. Actually were Tim to 12 years and Stephen to 8 years in Pretoria Prison shipped after they Handed out leaflets with a (harmless) explosion. Australian actor and former elite cyclist Nathan Page, best known internationally for his nuanced portrayal of Detective Inspector Jack Robinson in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (2012), was born into an air force family in Perth on 25 August 1971. The lifelong supporters of the Nelson-Mandela-led African National Congress, they strove to mobilize the people to abolish segregation. While Tim - the technical mastermind - was sentenced to 12 years in jail, his friend Stephen got eight years. He worked for the ANC Elections Briefing Unit from 1994 (the year of the first fully democratic elections in South Africa), before being appointed head of their Electronic Information Unit in Cape Town later that year. But near doors five and six was the night warders office. While the first step toward freedom might have been exhilarating, it was far from their most momentous achievement. We would spot the night warden and your heart is just pumping," said Tim. "Incarcerated in Pretoria Maximum Security Prison, Jenkin and Lee - joined by fellow inmate and French national Alex Moumbaris - decide to send the regime a clear message and escape. Moumbaris was the only non-South African prisoner, and when Jenkin met him, he appeared as "a little aloof". So I wouldnt say its embellished at all, its quite accurate, he explains. The third partner in the escape, Egyptian-born activist Alex Moumbaris, has been fictionalized as enigmatic Frenchman Leonard (Mark Leonard Winter), who has no discernible history or. Meanwhile, it may struggle to find much of a fanbase in its own country of setting, where audiences might reasonably wonder why at least one South African actor couldnt have been cast in a principal role. They then photocopied it and swapped it with other students. Timothy Peter Jenkin (born 1948) is a South African writer, former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner. I wasnt wondering, oh will they make it?. He is known for his political activism against the apartheid rgime in South Africa in the 1970s, and his subsequent incarceration in, and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local . There were a few worrying signs that Jenkin was being monitored, but he went to London to see Robin for six weeks and returned without incident. [18], Jenkin returned to South Africa in 1991 to manage the ANC's communications network. Tim Jenkin and his allies were imprisoned at Pretoria Prison in South Africa. As clunkily deployed in the [] "You are the white Mandela," says a ham-faced warden, all but spitting in the face of anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin upon his arrival at Pretoria Local Prison in 1978. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. 40 years after his mad dash for freedom with his collection of wooden keys and one chisel which was, unbelievably, successful Jenkins story is being told in the feature film, with Daniel Radcliffe playing the lead role. Tim, the technical expert of the pair, had devised a way of scattering banned leaflets by using explosive linked to a timer and detonator inside a carrier bag. In order to successfully escape from the prison in December 1979, Jenkin unlocked nine doors while Goldberg diverted the warden. As such, they were brought to the attention of South Africa's secret police. [21], Along with Lee, Jenkin was charged with "producing and distributing 18 different pamphlets on behalf of banned organisations" including the South African Communist Party, the ANC and its armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, from 1975 to 1978, and urging people to join the liberation movement. While awaiting clearance for membership, Jenkin worked as a social worker at a reform school in Swindon. From the very first day, we started to collect intelligence about possible escape routes, says Tim, who now lives in Johannesburg. peoplepill id: alex-moumbaris. Jenkin and Lee - joined by fellow inmate and French national Alex Moumbaris - decide to send the regime a clear message and escape. It was gut-wrenching the length of time we were given, he says. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. 3 views today. Surely his amazing story has had the big Hollywood sparkle, though? Escape from Pretoria airs on Saturday, 4 July, at 20:00 on TNT (DStv 137) We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred. It was suspected South African agents may have raided the home for documents to use in Moumbaris' trial. Jenkin and Lee, furious about being imprisoned for their thoughts, wanted to escape to prove to the world their differences, and of course, to fight for democracy in their country. "We would go to crowded bus stations and markets and leave them. why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Escape from Pretoria airs on Saturday, 4 July, at 20:00 on TNT (DStv 137) We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred. Ze worden op heterdaad betrapt en veroordeeld tot een jarenlange gevangenisstraf in Pretoria Central Prison. Radcliffe is playing a real-life person, Tim Jenkin, in a thrilling story based on a true story. Following the. He worked as a trade unionist and came to South Africa in 1973. why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoriavsters friluftsomrde. View our online Press Pack. They were sent to Pretoria Central Prison - since renamed Kgosi Mampuru II Management Area - where prisoners were divided up depending on their race. On the third occasion a sea-landing of 19 MK fully-armed members was to occur, Moumbaris was the commander of the receiving group. We just hoped that nobody would see us.". Just supporting the liberation movement was deemed to be terrorism.. Nick Fentons editing, meanwhile, maintains a keen sense of physical space and strain, not least in one comically queasy scene where a dropped key must be retrieved with the aid of a broomstick and chewing gum. [11] In March 1976 Lee went to Johannesburg to look for work, and the ANC coincidentally sent them both on their first mission, to disperse leaflets urging support for the ANC via a leaflet bomb (using a new design developed by Jenkin) in Johannesburg, close to the anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre on 21 March. Nathan Page. A massive police operation was launched to recapture the convicts, but by that time Stephen and Tim were on their way out of South Africa, to safety in the UK. Goldberg distracted the warden while the three made their escape. In 2015 he went on a national tour in Australia organised by Karel Boele speaking about his escape and community currencies. A lot of people cant understand how we got the shape of the key, but if you break it down most of the dimensions you get from the lock itself, you measure the hole, Jenkin explains like its nothing. "We were right underneath an armed guard but he didnt see us. 1978 Sketchy as it is on human details, Escape from Pretoria gets by on such practical nuts and bolts. While awaiting clearance for membership, Jenkin worked as a social worker at a reform school in Swindon. [Part 1: Intro] South Africa is a beautiful country and home to many unique languages and cultures, such as the Afrikaner (or Boer). Starring Daniel Radcliffe as a jailed anti-apartheid activist, this true-life prison-break thriller is stronger on genre mechanics than political nuance. Director Francis Annan and his co-writer L.H . But, he says, they were determined to break free. A guard who found it assumed a colleague was to blame. Imposing: Pretoria Prison Speaking from his home in North London, dad-of-two Stephen, now 62, says they had been determined to escape from the moment they arrived at notorious Pretoria. There was only one guard on duty and he was chatting to Denis. [2] In 1995, Jenkin wrote a 6-part article series called Talking to Vula: The Story of the Secret Underground Communications Network of Operation Vula. Based on the real-life prison break of two political captives, Escape From Pretoria is a race-against-time thriller set in the tumultuous apartheid days of South Africa. [23], As the plan evolved it became clear that for the escape to be successful it would have to be restricted to three people, who would have to hide in a small closet at one point. He moved frequently around the country while growing up and went to school predominantly in . and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local Prison (within the Pretoria Central Prison complex) with Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. Actor: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Escape from Pretoria makes an ideal everyman out of Daniel Radcliffe The actor plays Tim Jenkin, a real-life political prisoner during apartheid-era South Africa, who made a daring escape in 1979 On the 11 December 1979 Alex Moumbaris and two other prisoners, Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, made a daring escape from Pretoria Central Prison. Alexandre Moumbaris is a political activist and former political prisoner. He would then lean out of the tiny opening next to the door of his cell, and get the key inside the lock with a broomstick and a mirror. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. In an area called "The Pot", therewas a legendary gallows where seven could be hung at once. But he needed to create another one to make it into the next part of the prison. "This was going to let us out of the cells into the corridor," he added. Why? The initial plan was that eight of the political prisoners would escape, leaving behind two who were nearing the end of their sentences. [7] Goldberg distracted the warden while the three made their escape. It was hugely emotional, Stephen recalls. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Door three fortunately worked with the same key as the inner cell door. The key, fortunately, also worked for the door of Stephen's neighbouring cell. Adapted from Jenkin's memoir of his time served and resourcefully cut short as a South African political prisoner in the country's darkest . Recalling their rather more successful attempt, Stephen explained: The sense of freedom was amazing. Continue without accepting. Using the broom he was allowed to keep to sweep his cell, he created another genius contraption. We worked quite closely and he wanted to know what to emphasise, he was very keen to portray the mood and, well, me, I guess, as accurately as he could.. "Im glad that we escaped. On 11 December 1979 the three escapees managed to execute their master plan, against all odds, and found themselves outside the prison, in civilian clothes. . After months of meticulous surveillance, breath-taking ingenuity, and in a race against time as the authorities strengthen the prison security defenses, the group craft wooden keys for each of the 10 steel doors separating them from the main door and freedom. Jenkin was born in Cape Town and educated at Rondebosch Boys' Prep and Boys' High School, matriculating aged 17. We walked out as if we had every right to be there.". Now Escape From Pretoria tells the story of Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white South African activists, imprisoned in 1978 for working on behalf of the African National Congress (ANC), and their escape from the notorious white mans Robben Island, Pretoria Prison. The last 30-odd years have seen such a wealth of diverse, resonant personal histories emerge from the ashes of apartheid not least that of the actual, not-white Mandela that " Escape from. It was dangerous, they did have regular inspections. The first to get out of the toughest jail in South Africa, Stephen and Tim earned renown with a borderline genius hack. The jaw-dropping story of how two men broke out of the infamous maximum-security Pretoria Prison - and eventually on to the UK - has been given the Hollywood treatment in new blockbuster 'Escape From Pretoria', starring Daniel Radcliffe as Tim. Escape from Pretoria is a 2020 Australian prison film co-written and directed by Francis Annan, based on the real-life prison escape by three political prisoners in South Africa in 1979, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Daniel Webber. He's best known as the anti-apartheid activist who. But, as Tim noted, they were escaping from an imprisonment they never deserved. The movie begins with their early days spent planting harmless pamphlet bombs across Cape Town, before plunging us into the tepid everyday life of political prisoners. He also . Jenkin worked as a researcher for the Institute for Social Development at the University of the Western Cape, a university for South Africans of mixed racial ancestry, or Coloureds. On 30 December they were flown to Zambia, where they were accommodated under armed guard in Lusaka and their presence was officially announced by the ANC in early January 1980. In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. Stephen and Tim, 64, whose story is told tonight in Breakout on the National Geographic Channel, were supporters of Nelson Mandelas ANC who had been put under surveillance by South Africas secret police for their clandestine activity. Moumbaris's family migrated to Australia when he was young and he became a naturalised Australian citizen,[1] but he left for France when he was 16 years old. 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