All 156 defendants were acquitted
The South African trial examined charges of treason against 156, including Nelson Mandela, and was finally resolved in 1961 with acquittal. The prosecution stated that the defendants were subversive, having attended the recent Congress of the People gathering at Kliptown where speeches had promoted Communism and the creation of the Freedom Charter, the need to seek help abroad and in other evidence, the need to raise money to buy firearms.