Drum Magazine social history photographs, South Africa edition 894

South Africa, 1957. Big Noisy Trial: Treason Trialist, Robert Resha (ANC) arrives by police van at the back entrance of the Drill Hall. The treason trials started off like an action-packed cowboy film when 156 men and women came before the court in Johannesburg for a preparatory examination. Significant events unfolded both inside and outside Johannesburg's Drill Hall, where the preparatory examination into high treason charges against over 150 individuals from various organisations was being conducted before Mr. F.C.A. Wessel, the Chief Magistrate of Bloemfontein. Outside, on the streets, police clashed repeatedly with crowds, largely due to the Drill Hall's inability to accommodate all 5,000 people who had gathered. The escalation began with booing, leading to a baton charge, then stone-throwing, and ultimately, gunshots. Incidental events included the confiscation of press cameras and the arrest of photographers. A pervasive air of hostility characterised the mood, and the mutual taunting between police and public created a volatile situation, threatening to erupt into danger at any moment.