Escape from Pretoria. I knew it was curtains for us. 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. They moved to London in 1961,[1] where Moumbaris worked for the IT department of Reuters-Comtel. [21], Commenting on the 2017 French election, Moumbaris named Franois Asselineau as his favourite candidate, but he would vote for Marine Le Pen rather than Emmanuel Macron, purely based on protection of the nation against Macron's "financial fascism", but was still a staunch communist. 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.. While their revolutionary deeds helped to change the course of history, their prison escape was that which garnered them real fame. On the third occasion a sea-landing of 19 MK fully-armed members was to occur, Moumbaris was the commander of the receiving group. Escape from Pretoria at IMDb "20 Films That Starred 3 Or More Harry Potter Actors". 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. [23], In December 1979,[7] Jenkin, Lee and fellow inmate Alex Moumbaris[24][17] broke out of Pretoria Central Prison using handmade keys to ten of the doors leading out of the prison, after several hair-raising moments when encountering unforeseen obstacles. [21], In May 2011, Moumbaris was charged with making a "Public call to discrimination" and set to appear in court in Flers, in Normandy. Locked up in a maximum-security jail for setting off harmless leaflet propaganda bombs spreading dissent against the apartheid regime in 1970s South Africa, Stephen and friend Tim Jenkin were about to embark on one of the most audacious prison breaks in history. [7] Goldberg distracted the warden while the three made their escape. Adapted from Jenkin's memoir of his time served and resourcefully cut short as a South African political prisoner in the country's darkest . Submitted by Mary Christine Part 1: Intro Part 2: The wasteland Part 3: Societal collapse Part 4: Final outcome Part 5: Doing good 2. [5] He later wrote that he had "grown up a 'normal' complacent white South African" who "unthinkingly accepted the system and for twenty-one years never questioned it". [18], From there they were flown to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania, accompanied by MK commander, Joe Modise. Then, one day he was working in a carpentry workshop and it struck him that the key could be wooden. My heart was racing. 12 'To build solidarity - that was my task', "Daniel Radcliffe to Star in Prison-Break Drama 'Escape From Pretoria', "Pretoria Prison break: Amazing story of the daring men who escaped notorious apartheid regime jail", "Adelaide transformed into apartheid-era Cape Town for Escape From Pretoria filming", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tim_Jenkin&oldid=1137067993, This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 16:48. He became instrumental to the escape plan in several ways, making the early suggestion any escape plan would have to involve the making of keys,[7] providing a hacksaw which he had secreted after plumbers had left it behind,[8] and getting involved in some of the riskier aspects of the planning and testing of the scheme. But he needed to create another one to make it into the next part of the prison. 'Escape from Pretoria' will . But of course if you continue doing something long enough, you will make mistakes. As our central trio trace a taut treasure trail of keyholes and cupboards, Annans direction settles into a smooth groove of high-tension setpieces, teased out to breath-suspending effect. [1], Moumbaris was the only non-South African prisoner, and when Jenkin met him, he appeared as "a little aloof". Two years later, Marie-Jos gave birth to a daughter, Zo, who was born on 11 December 1981, the second anniversary of the escape. Escape From Pretoria (2020 ) Directed and Written: Francis Annan Speaking to Metro.co.uk about learning the news Radcliffe would be portraying him, Jenkin (who was sentenced to 12 years in prison) said the A-list casting came as a surprise. There was only one guard on duty and he was chatting to Denis, said Stephen, recalling how he kept him distracted. We started just before the Soweto uprising in 1976 and carried on for three years. The third prisoner in this true story was in fact Alexandre Moumbaris, Egyptian born of Greek heritage who grew up in Australia and was raised in the UK. But Tim Jenkin did, and you may be surprised to learn one of the most daring prison escapes was executed right under the noses of Pretoria Prison guards back in 1979 and involved nothing but the keys made in Jenkins own cell. We has skype chats, he wanted to learn about the character and the accent, Jenkin, now-71, explained of the study Radcliffe did to ace his portrayal. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "Im glad that we escaped. This, along with his generally scruffy appearance and his refusal to keep his cell tidy led to a bad reputation amongst the prison wardens meant he had never been promoted beyond the "B" group in his six years in prison, while the others had reached "A" within two. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Locked up in a maximum-security jail for leaflets against apartheid, they embarked on one of the most audacious escapes in history. To make matters more complicated, he could only unlock his cell door from the outside, and used a broomstick he had been allowed to hang on to for cleaning with the key attached to the end so that he could reach. Distractify is a registered trademark. 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. He was also influenced by the Vietnam War and the Greek coup of the colonels in 1967. We walked out as if we had every right to be there. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. Moumbaris was charged under the Terrorism Act in January 1973. Stephen began to experiment with wooden keys the exact replicas used by prison guards during his compulsory shifts at the prison's wood workshop. Escape from Pretoria. This time they came up with a plan to leave dummies in their beds, sneak downstairs, hide in a cupboard and wait for the warder to go upstairs. Tim Jenkin and his allies were imprisoned at Pretoria Prison in South Africa. "After that I took a chance and took the parts we needed, including a file, back to my cell in a Thermos flask.. "We would go to crowded bus stations and markets and leave them. Alex Moumbaris: Political activist, Political activist, Activist, From: Egypt. [28], In 1987 his book, Escape from Pretoria, was published in London. 2020 PG-13 1h 46m DVD Rent this movie Play trailer. . Then I went to Australia to the set and we would often sit together and hed ask me about particular scenes, what was going through my head while this was happening. Jenkin and Leejoined by fellow inmate and French national Alex Moumbarisdecide to send the regime a clear message and escape. why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria. Continue without accepting. 1978 Luckily, the warder blamed one of his colleagues. [11] The wardens were all Afrikaans-speaking and were not fluent in English, and while most of the prisoners were fairly fluent in Afrikaans, they were not familiar with the topics they talked about. But the film still works in lockdown mode as a premium rental. While the first step toward freedom might have been exhilarating, it was far from their most momentous achievement. How? It was gut-wrenching the length of time we were given, Stephen recalled. I felt so elated.". framkalla filmrulle sjlv . 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. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. However, escaping - something no inmate had successfully done before - was going to be no easy task. We have a base load of around 70 Lee worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, while Jenkin ran the "cell" on his own in Cape Town. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. In prison they met Denis Goldberg and on Alexandre Moumbaris - not on Leonard Fontaine. Thence to Mozambique, and, via contact with FRELIMO, to Angola, where from the ANC office in Luanda they were able to make phone calls to their families, and were also given the news Lee was on his way to join them at the airport. The arrests at Liliesleaf and convictions which followed at the Rivonia Trial in 1963-4 were followed by widespread roundups of activists and leaders, including Bram Fischer and Wilton Mkwayi. [2] He worked for about nine years before becoming involved with the ANC [3] as one of the "London Recruits". Again Tims ingenuity was tested. On arrival at Pretoria, a jail for white political prisoners, both men were so focused on escaping they even asked relatives to smuggle in money for taxi fares once they broke out. The prison, constructed from stone and steel, had gone down in prisoner folklore as being a fortress from which no one could ever hope to escape. Director Francis Annan and his co-writer L.H . 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. After that they made it to Mozambique, Angola, and then on to Europe. [2], Moumbaris was still living in Normandy as of July 2017[update]. 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. They would contain simple messages, urging people to support the liberation movement. 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. "This was going to let us out of the cells into the corridor," he added. For three years they set off harmless leaflet bombs - explosive devices at the bottom of a shopping bag that could distribute 500 propaganda pamphlets in one 'bang' - spreading word of the liberation movement in public places. folktandvrden karlskoga flyttar . They were determined to fight the countys unjust apartheid regime which had enforced racial segregation since 1948. The trial in the Cape Town Supreme Court went from 6 to 15 June 1978. [9], In February 1974, Jenkin and Lee left the country in order to join the ANC in London, with the intention of helping to bring about change in South Africa. [3], On 23 October 1973, the matter of possible theft of documents from the Clapham Common home of Moumbaris and his wife was raised in the UK parliament by Labour party MP Alex Lyon. . Yet fellow prisoners, who had already spent years locked up behind the six-metre high barbed-wire perimeter fence, poured scorn on their ambitions. 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 Prison (within the Pretoria Central Prison complex) with Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. He was visited in prison twice a year by his mother and young son, Boris, from France. On 9 January Moumbaris left for France and was welcomed upon arrival in Paris by Marie-Jos (whom he had not seen for seven years), his mother, 7-year-old son Boris, and many friends and well-wishers. Escape From Pretoria follows the months-long construction of an escape plan formulated by South African apartheid activists Tim Jenkin, Stephen Lee, and French national Leonard Fontaine (substituted for Egyptian-Australian activist Alex Moumbaris). 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. As he says, for me its just like going to the movies. Sketchy as it is on human details, Escape from Pretoria gets by on such practical nuts and bolts. Jenkin was born in Cape Town and educated at Rondebosch Boys' Prep and Boys' High School, matriculating aged 17. [20] After a spell in the notorious John Vorster Square in Johannesburg, they were returned to Cape Town and after four weeks, allowed to see family, and held at Pollsmoor Prison as they awaited trial. "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. The system was never cracked and helped the ANC coordinate in the run up to Nelson Mandela's release from prison. I started to carve a few little pieces of wood, one for the shaft and one for the bit of the key, Tim told National Geographic. My heart was racing. There was also a six-metre high barbed-wire perimeter fence. Written and directed by Francis Annan, the historical thriller sheds light on how Stephen and Tim managed to defy all expectations and escape from the Pretoria Central Prison. To make this possible, they befriended another inmate, Alex Moumbaris. The real-life Goldberg was much more supportively involved in the prison-break strategy; if the script does him something of a disservice for the purposes of greater narrative friction, thats not the fastest and loosest it plays with facts. Unwilling to take any more risks, they had to leave this final barrier untested until the night of the actual escape. In my early years I had learned to pick the back door lock at home with a piece of wire, he says. 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. There was only one guard on duty and he was chatting to Denis. Shop Escape from Pretoria. [22], In 2013, the story of the prison escape was dramatised in the 7th episode of the 2nd season of Breakout, a television series made by National Geographic TV channel dramatising real-life prison escapes. [Part 1: Intro] South Africa is a beautiful country and home to many unique languages and cultures, such as the Afrikaner (or Boer). [22], After their incarceration, Jenkin, Lee and several other inmates began plotting an escape, which would involve copies of several prison keys that Jenkin made from wood. 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. 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. Escape From Pretoria chronicles their journey, shedding new light on how they managed to escape from prison. His wife was detained during the same period of his detention, but was later released without charge. The initial plan was that eight of the political prisoners would escape, leaving behind two who were nearing the end of their sentences. Ready to find out more about the real story Escape from Pretoria is based on? 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. Once Tim had cracked the third door, inmate Alexis Moumbaris, pictured, joined the escape effort Each night after lights went out, the trio sneaked out of their cells - once Tim had used the. In fact, things have been kept so by the book, so to speak, the actors used the actual tool Jenkin and Lee as well as third prisoner Alex Moumbaris employed in their daring escape. Through reading material banned by the government, they came to see the "naked reality" of apartheid and the undemocratic behavior of the ruling party, and felt a burning desire to effect positive change, which, Jenkin concluded, was only possible using unconstitutional means under the current regime. Timothy Peter Jenkin (born 1948) is a South African writer, former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner. It took them months to crack the fourth lock. Written and directed by Francis Annan, the historical thriller sheds light on how Stephen and Tim managed to defy all expectations and escape from the Pretoria Central Prison. They caught us with printing equipment. Surely his amazing story has had the big Hollywood sparkle, though? "I wanted to run but we just kept walking to the railway station, where we used our money to get in a taxi," Stephen said. Using the broom he was allowed to keep to sweep his cell, he created another genius contraption. Moumbaris was fully involved in the preparation of landings on the East Coast of South Africa. From the jail they took trains, hitchhiked and walk 25 miles to make it to the border of Swaziland - now called Eswatini. Radcliffe is playing a real-life person, Tim Jenkin, in a thrilling story based on a true story. We just hoped that nobody would see us.". Ze worden op heterdaad betrapt en veroordeeld tot een jarenlange gevangenisstraf in Pretoria Central Prison. In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. Given the limited backstory filled in by Annan and L.H. They were very big locks so you could see the marks on the inside. At night there were dogs in the yard, Stephen told The Mirror. 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Moumbaris was the only non-South African prisoner, and when Jenkin met him, he appeared as "a little aloof". Jenkin says that he'd always thought his book was "good movie material" and he wasn't wrong. "We had to make the key under the noses of the guardsmen. 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 . skuggans caf lngtora. Banished to the vast prison complex of Pretoria, the countrys administrative capital, Jenkin and Lee are protectively counseled by veteran liberal political prisoner Denis Goldberg (British veteran Ian Hart, giving the character a geezer-y air), who advises them to keep their heads down and to serve their time with dignity as prisoners of conscience. The youngsters, countering that they are instead prisoners of war, immediately set about an escape plan regardless. So when his key worked, it was momentous. While cleaning their corridor outside, Tim got his second key to fit but the bolt became stuck. [10], His relationship with the jailers tended towards being outwardly defiant and somewhat aggressive, laughing at new wardens who tried to discipline him. The only languages allowed to be spoken during visits were the two "official" languages, English and Afrikaans, but as Boris only spoke French and was deemed too young to be a security risk, allowed them to converse in French. He successfully distributed leaflets this way on Cape Town's Grand Parade. There he met and married a French woman, Marie-Jos. That last scene is about as accurate as you can make it, Jenkin says of the very real moment the escapees werent able to open the ninth and final door to freedom. [6], In June 1973, Moumbaris was sentenced to 12 years in prison for conspiring with the ANC to "instigate violent revolution in South Africa', aiding guerrillas to enter the country, distributing ANC literature and reconnoitering the coast to find places for the sea-borne landing of guerrillas and arms. . This was legal under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act, which allowed detention without trial for up to 60 days, and was extendable. Here they met Oliver Tambo and Alfred Nzo, President and Secretary-General of the ANC respectively, and gave a press conference on 2 January 1980. 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. Over a long series of dummy runs that took over a year to complete, they got as far as door 10 the door to the outside. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. It was hugely emotional, Stephen recalls. They were never told how the security police got onto them, and Jenkin concluded that it must have been the result of meticulous police work and long surveillance. There was enough explosive inside to lift about 500 pamphlets into the air. Tiene 72 aos y ha escrito varios libros. [4], After leaving school, he avoided conscription into the South African Defence Force, and worked at a variety of jobs for two years, with no particular interest in anything except motorcycle racing. They had to leave it untested until the actual night of their escape, December 11, 1979 - 18 months after their conviction. On the 11 December 1979 Alex Moumbaris and two other prisoners, Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, made a daring escape from Pretoria Central Prison. If youve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with theMetro.co.ukentertainment team by emailing uscelebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page wed love to hear from you. [5] As Marie-Jos was pregnant at the time and under pressure from the French ambassador, she was not charged but instead deported back to France[3] after four months. But when it comes to watching him break out of prison all over again, though, there is no stirring feeling, no rush of emotions that come back to Jenkin. [7][8], Jenkin met Stephen Lee in a sociology class at UCT. It was December 11, 1979, 18 months after our conviction, Stephen says. He is best known for his 1979 escape from Pretoria Local Prison (part of the Pretoria Central Prison complex), along with Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris. Alex Moumbaris (section Escape) and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local Prison (within the Pretoria Central Prison complex) with Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. Moumbaris grew cynical about these claims but continued to see him as it was another visit from an outsider, and he could ask him questions about France. Offers may be subject to change without notice. After leaving . We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Alex Moumbaris was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on the 20 June 1973, which he started serving in the Pretoria Local Prison. Boom, the door just slid open, absolutely smoothly, he says. why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoriavsters friluftsomrde. This was how he knew how long the key needed to be.

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