In this jaw-dropping classic of prison escape literature, Tim Jenkin tells of how he, Stephen Lee and Alexander Moumbaris, using a series of hand-made wooden keys, got through nine locked doors inside Pretoria Central to take them to Mozambique and finally to London.
Escape from Pretoria is a fast-paced thriller that begins with Jenkin’s Cape Town childhood and the growth of his political awareness, his university days and his friendship with Stephen Lee.
Both men left South Africa after university for London to join the African National Congress.
Jenkin and Lee, after training in London, became expert pamphlet bombers in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and it was after several successful years of raising awareness about apartheid and the ANC that they were caught and eventually sentenced to 12 years in jail.
It is after Lee’s father visits his son in prison, bringing him a copy of another escape classic, Papillon, that Jenkin begins to seriously form an escape plan.
Months and months of planning, testing, failing, testing again and lucky breaks meant that, finally, the escape was on. The recently late Denis Goldberg was a friend and supporter of the men and kept a warder busy as they began their escape. Apart from locking the doors behind them, they never looked back.
The movie, with the same name, starring Daniel Radcliffe, has just been released on Amazon Prime.
Enter and win
One lucky reader stands a chance to win this great read.
All you have to do is submit an email with the subject box, Escape from Pretoria Competition, to cvdwalt@caxton.co.za by no later than noon on April 30.
Please include your name, surname and contact details in the body of the email. Winners will be chosen through a lucky draw and notified via email.
No correspondence will be entered into after winners have been announced.
