Priscilla Jana obituary | Pat Devereaux

Lawyer and key anti-apartheid figure in South Africa who represented Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners Priscilla Jana, who has died aged 76, was a formidable human rights lawyer and key anti-apartheid figure in South Africa. An active member of the banned African National Congress, Jana was pivotal in the underground battle against the apartheid state, even transporting AK47s in the boot of her car on one occasion. Unlike her world-famous client, the ANC leader Nelson Mandela, Jana stridently resented conciliation with “the enemy”. In 1977, as a visiting solicitor needing Mandela’s signature for papers, Jana was the first woman to hug the ANC leader in 13 years of captivity on Robben Island. His wife, Winnie, could only see him through a glass panel. Soon, Jana became his personal attorney and her joking, teasing visits became a method to pass serious coded messages. Realising other prisoners on the island needed help, Jana also began to represent them. Continue reading...
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