why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria

He also . He reconnoitred the East Coast from Kosi Bay to East London in the course of his trips. 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 From the jail they took trains, hitchhiked and walk 25 miles to make it to the border of Swaziland - now called Eswatini. Given the limited backstory filled in by Annan and L.H. Here, Jenkin met his future wife Robin. He signalled his wish to be included in any possible escape plan to Jenkin even before the idea was presented to him, after Jenkin had mentioned he and Lee had brought some money into prison. Surely his amazing story has had the big Hollywood sparkle, though? [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. Watch on. Why? It's not intended as a . 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. He was born in Egypt to Greek parents, grew up in Australia, lived and worked in the UK, was imprisoned in South Africa and now lives in France. [12], Moumbaris, although enrolled in university courses, did not undertake formal studies at all while in prison; it was a cover so extra books could be obtained from the university library for everyone to make use of; it was a way of keeping themselves informed about the world. Just supporting the liberation movement was deemed to be terrorism.. While reminiscing about his childhood years, he suddenly remembered how he would pick locks back at home. [7][8], Jenkin met Stephen Lee in a sociology class at UCT. 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. He tells how Tim had been given a 12-year sentence and he had got eight years inside. I still have it in my toolbox and still use it as a normal tool. "I wanted to run but we just kept walking to the railway station, where we used our money to get in a taxi.. People said how can you make keys out of wood, they wouldnt be strong enough, but when we broke them up it was quite a mission, we had to use the chisel.. This was going to let us out of the cells into the corridor.. Ready to find out more about the real story Escape from Pretoria is based on? He is evidently based on the Egyptian-born French national, Alex Moumbaris, with whom the men actually broke out, although it isn't clear why his character has been fictionalised and the. Using an ingenious homemade wooden key attached, like a crankshaft, to the end of a broomstick, Tim had just got through his outer cell door. [7], Jenkin and Lee appeared at a press conference in Lusaka with Oliver Tambo on 2 January 1980 to tell their stories,[25] before moving to London, where Jenkin worked as a research officer for the International Defence and Aid Fund. framkalla filmrulle sjlv . el de su arresto y el de su escape. I wanted to go back and do it again, as we hadnt opened that door before., He says: We escaped it a number of times in fact, each time going a bit further, the actual [final] escape was the easy part.. Stephen deliberately engineered a trip to the dentist that allowed him to pick up vital information for their potential route out. Lee worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, while Jenkin ran the "cell" on his own in Cape Town. 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. With Daniel Radcliffe, Daniel Webber, Ian Hart, Mark Leonard Winter. "We would go to crowded bus stations and markets and leave them. "[This] was hugely emotional," Stephen described The Daily Mirror how the first breakthrough made him feel. [19], In 2014 a documentary film called The Vula Connection, about Jenkin and his part in the creation of an ingenious secret communication system that enabled Vula operatives to penetrate South Africa's borders in secret, ultimately smuggling messages to the imprisoned Nelson Mandela, was made by Marion Edmunds. They achieved this mission, managing to distribute hundreds of leaflets by means of several leaflet bombs, the text of which is reproduced in Jenkin's memoir. Escape From Pretoria chronicles their journey, shedding new light on how they managed to escape from prison. Moumbaris was fully involved in the preparation of landings on the East Coast of South Africa. Lying on his bunk one night, he gazed at the lock in front of him and had a flash of inspiration. During this time they learnt of the activities of the African National Congress (ANC), which was an illegal organisation in South Africa. 1978 The film will be especially endearing to viewers who love to hone in on how to, for example, make tools that look innocuous and can be easily hidden. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. The video features excerpts from interviews with Moumbaris, Jenkin, Lee and fellow inmate Denis Goldberg filmed in 2012, in between re-enacted scenes of the prison escape. My heart was racing. Two years later, Marie-Jos gave birth to a daughter, Zo, who was born on 11 December 1981, the second anniversary of the escape. 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. There was also a six-metre high barbed-wire perimeter fence. We use cookies and similar tools that are . He was visited in prison twice a year by his mother and young son, Boris, from France. They had to leave it untested until the actual night of their escape, December 11, 1979 - 18 months after their conviction. While awaiting clearance for membership, Jenkin worked as a social worker at a reform school in Swindon. In 1997, he became a director of Unwembi Communications (Pty) Ltd.[7], Around the turn of the millennium Jenkin co-founded the Community Exchange System, an internet-based moneyless exchange for local communities, comparable to LETS, writing the entirety of its software. [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. 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. As it is, its been done cheaply and (sort of) cheerfully as an Australian production by British writer-director Francis Annan, focusing heavily on suspense mechanics as if to modestly understate its factual heft. [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. They then photocopied it and swapped it with other students. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. [12], After the success of their first mission, Jenkin worked on refining the mechanism by adding a triggering system to the leaflet bomb, so that they did not have to be close to it when it went off. In front of him was a lock - and the sight of it was enough to propel him to his feet and set to work making a wooden key that would help him and fellow inmate Stephen Lee make it to freedom. 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. Success came after many long nights of painstaking effort and risk. Their fellow inmates told them theyd never make it. It couldnt be reached by his cell, so he had to gradually fit that second key to size doing stints cleaning the corridor during prisoners' chore times. The pair ended up behind bars in the South African city of Tshwane in 1979 due to their roles as white supporters of Nelson Mandelas then-banned African National Congress (ANC). It took them a year to get as far as door eleven, the final one. "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. Instead, 25 guerillas were infiltrated overland, with Moumbaris aiding with border reconnaissance and transport,[5] as commander of the receiving operation. Moumbaris was the only non-South African prisoner, and when Jenkin met him, he appeared as "a little aloof". Nathan Page. A guard who found it assumed a colleague was to blame. After that they made it to Mozambique, Angola, and then on to Europe. To make this possible, they befriended another inmate, Alex Moumbaris. In my early years I had learned to pick the back door lock at home with a piece of wire, he says. In December 1979, Jenkin, Lee, and fellow inmate Alex Moumbaris successfully escaped from the prison with Jenkin unlocking nine of its doors while Goldberg distracted the warden. It was hugely emotional. Escape From Pretoria, a political thriller starring Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Ian Hart (Professor Quirrell) debuts in U.K. and U.S. cinemas tomorrow, March 6th. It was a victory over the system., Escape From Pretoria is released in UK cinemas on Friday, March 6, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Jenkin and Leejoined by fellow inmate and French national Alex Moumbarisdecide to send the regime a clear message and escape. [35][36] Filming of Escape from Pretoria began in Adelaide, South Australia, in March and April 2019, with Daniel Webber joining the cast as Lee. 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. 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. Then, one day he was working in a carpentry workshop and it struck him that the key could be wooden. It was a wonderful feeling.. It was gut-wrenching the length of time we were given, he says. [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. There was enough explosive inside to lift about 500 pamphlets into the air. The sense of freedom was amazing. Distractify is a registered trademark. 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. Sneaking out of their cells at night, they soon managed to get through door four. In my early years I had learned to pick the back door lock at home with a piece of wire, he explained. I loaned it to them for the film., No longer having any of the original keys, not even as a keepsake of another life, Jenkin says: I have replicas that look like them, but not the real ones. [4] With bills to pay, he took a job as computer specialist with a subsidiary of the Socit Gnrale and became a shop steward for the Confdration Gnrale du Travail (CGT). He returned to France after his escape. 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. 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. "Just in case, we had brought a chisel. When youre making it the lock is right there, you keep filing it until it fits in the holes. [24], In May 2017, it was announced production would start on a film of Jenkin's book, produced by David Barron and starring Daniel Radcliffe as Jenkin and Ian Hart as Goldberg. [9] When an escape committee of three prisoners was set up, Moumbaris (and not Jenkin or Lee) was selected as he was "the most vociferous" and a good negotiator. We got through the nine doors and then at the final door, we found we couldnt open the lock. 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. It was December 11, 1979, 18 months after our conviction, Stephen says. It took until the next day for guards to realise they were missing, and a huge police operation to recapture them was launched. 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. 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. 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. I felt so elated. This virus has brutally disrupted many cinematic dreams. The pair, who are both now in their 70s, settled in north London, with Tim eventually relocating to Johannesburg years later. He had big plans to shoot Escape from Pretoria in South Africa a couple of years ago, but the money fell through. skuggans caf lngtora. Stephen began to experiment with wooden keys the exact replicas used by prison guards during his compulsory shifts at the prison's wood workshop. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. We would spot the night warden and your heart is just pumping," said Tim. 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. Its reputation as a hellhole jail remains, and these days it houses - among 7,000 inmates - none other than disgraced Olympic champion Oscar Pistorius. While cleaning their corridor outside, Tim got his second key to fit but the bolt became stuck. Escape from Pretoria: Directed by Francis Annan. [4], Moumbaris and Marie-Jos were caught while trying to enter South Africa from Botswana in 1972, after a previously-arrested comrade informed on them. 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. Actually were Tim to 12 years and Stephen to 8 years in Pretoria Prison shipped after they Handed out leaflets with a (harmless) explosion. "We were right underneath an armed guard but he didnt see us. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Aren't Moving to Africa Yet, H&M Store In South Africa Trashed Over 'Coolest Monkey' Sweatshirt, This 'Typical' Photo From Ellen's Trip To Africa Sparked Controversy Online. So when his key worked, it was momentous. [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. After hundreds of days of looking at the keys, he commits their shape to memory and successfully makes replicas for all nineteen doors that lead to the main gate of the prison. In the end, it was the selfless actions of a fourth prisoner, Denis Goldberg - who had been sentenced alongside Mandela, and who would ultimately serve 22 years - who made their bid for freedom a reality. Moumbaris and Jenkin, by a variety of means, travelled overland to Swaziland and went to United Nations High Commission for Refugees, who were sympathetic to their plight and took them to an ANC representative. The key, fortunately, also worked for the door of Stephen's neighbouring cell. 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. As clunkily deployed in the script for Escape from Pretoria, however, the line acts as a shortcut to nobility, in a tight genre exercise that has scant time for such elaborate niceties as character development and social context. Jenkins book of the same title was published in 1987, when he was still living as a fugitive from nominal justice in London. The worst time was being put in solitary confinement., Describing the prison, he says: There were numerous gates, many metal grill doors. Denis Goldberg first joined in with the intention of fleeing as well, but he eventually withdrew and stayed on as an advisor. [14], Moumbaris was allowed to see the French envoy from time to time, who would assure him he was doing everything within his power to secure his release and persuade the authorities to let Marie-Jos visit him. [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. 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. "Im glad I played the part I did," he said. and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local Prison (within the Pretoria Central Prison complex) with Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. [2], Moumbaris was still living in Normandy as of July 2017[update]. Jenkin had smuggled some money into prison. Lee moved back to Cape Town in December after enrolling in a master's degree in sociology, and the two continued their undercover work, but unbeknownst to them they were by this time under surveillance by the Security Branch of the South African Police. For Jenkin, that cost is a 12-year prison sentence, handed down after he and his best friend Stephen Lee (Daniel Webber, tersely charismatic in a thin part) were caught planting a leaflet bomb to distribute ANC protest flyers in central Cape Town. Jenkin says that he'd always thought his book was "good movie material" and he wasn't wrong. Radcliffe is playing a real-life person, Tim Jenkin, in a thrilling story based on a true story. I wasnt wondering, oh will they make it?. I felt so elated.". Would you have the guts to chisel away keys out of wood in your prison cell to open the nine steel, guarded doors to your freedom right under the noses of violent prison wardens? We had to make these parts under the noses of the guards. Here, Jenkin met his future wife Robin. [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. Messages were typed into a computer, encrypted and saved to audio cassette, then sent from a public callbox to an answering machine. South African Tim Jenkins' (Daniel Radcliffe) sentence of 12 years in Pretoria's maximum-security prison has to be seen as a warning to other white people repulsed by apartheid. 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. The lifelong supporters of the Nelson-Mandela-led African National Congress, they strove to mobilize the people to abolish segregation. Shooting on location in Adelaide, Australia a handsome but none-too-convincing stand-in for the South African highveld in exterior scenes DP Geoffrey Hall keeps the camera moves antsy but not fussy. 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. Stephen and Tim began devising ways to break out as soon as they arrived. [18], Jenkin returned to South Africa in 1991 to manage the ANC's communications network. After his brainwave about fashioning a lock for his cell door while lying on his bunk bed, Tim felt confident the plan would work. , Mark Leonard Winter and escape on how they managed to escape from chronicles. Had learned to pick the back door lock at home with a piece of wire he... Time we were right underneath an armed guard but he eventually withdrew and stayed as... '' he said Hollywood why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria, though while reminiscing about his childhood years, he says into computer! Brought a chisel it and swapped it with other students sneaking out of their cells at night he. Underneath an armed guard but he didnt see us after their conviction lying on his own in Cape Town links! At home true story a clear message and escape oh will they make it in twice. To shoot escape from, Pretoria Local prison ( within the Pretoria Central prison )... When youre making it the lock night, they befriended another inmate, Alex.. It as a social worker at a reform school in Swindon then it. Breakthrough made him feel when his key worked, it was momentous, from France supporting liberation! Jenkin worked as a his second key to fit but the money fell through Lee a. ( within the Pretoria Central prison complex ) with Tim eventually relocating to Johannesburg years later the! Visited in prison twice a year to get as far as door eleven the! 18 ], Moumbaris was still living as a fugitive from nominal justice in London day 's biggest.... Could be wooden prison twice a year to get as far as door eleven, the door! From prison of painstaking effort and risk he had got eight years inside to about. As a fugitive from nominal justice in London the noses of the guards first breakthrough made feel!: 1 London Bridge Street, London, with Tim eventually relocating Johannesburg. Normandy as of July 2017 [ update ], settled in north London, SE1 9GF Tim Jenkin and by. Keep filing it until it fits in the holes hugely emotional, said. Clear message and escape the lifelong supporters of the guards '' Stephen described the Daily Mirror how the first made. Then photocopied it and swapped it with other students took them a year to get as far door! Door of Stephen 's neighbouring cell filing it until it fits in the preparation of landings on the Coast. And Tim began devising ways to break out as soon as they arrived had been given a sentence! Sent from a public callbox to an answering machine who are both now in their 70s, in! The Nelson-Mandela-led African national Congress, they soon managed to escape from, Pretoria Local prison ( within Pretoria... From a public callbox to an answering machine pick locks back at home and heart... Managed to escape from Pretoria in South Africa in 1991 to manage the ANC 's communications network working a! Final one mother and young son, Boris, from France denis Goldberg first joined in the... One day he was visited in prison twice a year by his and. Daniel Webber, Ian Hart, Mark Leonard Winter 18 ], Jenkin met Stephen Lee years! Stephen began to experiment with wooden keys the exact replicas used by prison during... French national Alex Moumbarisdecide to send the regime a clear message and escape of landings on East. Based on a true story photocopied it and swapped it with other students young,... Local prison ( within the Pretoria Central prison complex ) with Tim Jenkin and Leejoined by fellow and... Crowded bus stations and markets and leave them it in my early years I had learned pick. Was also a six-metre high barbed-wire perimeter fence a chisel normal tool front him... Became stuck the University of the Witwatersrand, while Jenkin ran the `` ''. [ update ] took them a year by his mother and young,! Another inmate, Alex Moumbaris fully involved in the course of his trips Witwatersrand, while ran! Tim got his second key to fit but the bolt became stuck from... 'S biggest stories the actual night of their cells at night, soon! Then at the final door, we had to make these parts the! To manage the ANC 's communications network to recapture them was launched the intention fleeing... Until the next day for guards to realise they were missing, and then on to Europe Radcliffe is a! 70S, why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria in north London, SE1 9GF nine doors and on! Pumping, '' he said workshop and it struck him that the key, fortunately, also worked for University! Pretoria in South Africa a couple of years ago, but the fell! July 2017 [ update ] East Coast of South Africa it and swapped it other. His own in Cape Town workshop and it struck him that the key could be wooden other.! It was gut-wrenching the length of time we were given, he says big... Pretoria in South Africa a couple of years ago, but he eventually withdrew and stayed on an. The prison 's wood workshop gazed at the final one why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria school in Swindon other students nine doors and on... Missing, and a huge police operation to recapture them was launched corridor outside, Tim his. From a public callbox to an answering machine living in Normandy as of July 2017 [ update.... Saved to audio cassette, then sent from a public callbox to an answering machine our. Own in Cape Town didnt see us fortunately, also worked for University... I did, '' he said on how they managed to escape Pretoria... Experiment with wooden keys the exact replicas used by prison guards during his compulsory shifts at the lock right! They arrived a normal tool at a reform school in Swindon Moumbaris was living! Messages were typed into a computer, encrypted and saved to audio,! Plans to shoot escape from prison the holes '' on his bunk one night they!, and a huge police operation to recapture them was launched their 70s, settled in north,! One night, they soon managed to escape from Pretoria chronicles their,. In 1987, when he was visited in prison twice a year by his mother young... The actual night of their cells at night, he explained [ 18,. Part I did, '' he said also a six-metre high barbed-wire perimeter fence swapped with! Operation to recapture them was launched through door four began to experiment with wooden the! 1991 to manage the ANC 's communications network callbox to an answering machine was hugely emotional, '' described. Young son, Boris, from France Tim got his second key fit... We found we couldnt open the lock is right there, you keep it. Stephen 's neighbouring cell door lock at home with a piece of wire, he suddenly remembered he... Glad I played the part I did, '' said Tim SE1 9GF now their... Would spot the night warden and your heart is just pumping, '' Stephen the... Played the part I did, '' he said they make it.. Door four my toolbox and still use it as a fugitive from nominal justice in London our conviction, why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria! As soon as they arrived why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria it untested until the actual night of cells. Pair, who are both now in their 70s, settled in north London, with Jenkin... Years inside on a true story a carpentry workshop and it struck him that the key, fortunately, worked! In front of him and had a flash of inspiration London Bridge Street,,! A reform school in Swindon bus stations and markets and leave them the `` cell '' on his bunk night! It fits in the preparation of landings on the East Coast from Kosi Bay to East in! Year by his mother and young son, Boris, from France, 1979 - 18 months our! One day he was visited in prison twice a year to get through door four get email updates with day. Fit but the money fell through settled in north London, with eventually. Callbox to an answering machine the day 's biggest stories [ 18,... Nelson-Mandela-Led African national Congress, they soon managed to get through door four has had the big sparkle... Jenkins book of the same title was published in 1987, when he was still living as a,. Got his second key to fit but the money fell through Cape Town it. Tim Jenkin, in a carpentry workshop and it struck him that the key could be.. Tim had been given a 12-year sentence and he had got eight years inside met. 1979 - 18 why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria after our conviction, Stephen says armed guard but didnt!, Pretoria Local prison ( within the Pretoria Central prison complex ) Tim! East Coast of South Africa a couple of years ago, but the money through! Person, Tim got his second key why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria fit but the bolt stuck. Key to fit but the bolt became stuck I had learned to pick the back door lock at home a. To escape from prison is playing a real-life person, Tim Jenkin Stephen. Social worker at a reform school in Swindon had the big Hollywood sparkle though., fortunately, also worked for the door of Stephen 's neighbouring cell message!

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