Andrew Mlangeni, the last surviving anti-apartheid activist convicted with Nelson Mandela at the infamous Rivonia Trial of 1964, has died aged 95.

This was the trial considered to have brought Mandela to global attention.

Mr Mlangeni died after being admitted to a military hospital in Pretoria because of an abdominal complaint.

His death “signifies the end of a generational history and places our future squarely in our hands,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

Who was Andrew Mlangeni?

Mr Mlangeni was born in 1925. In 1951, he joined the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC) and was later sent abroad for military training.

On his return in 1963, he was arrested and stood trial in the Rivonia trial.

Mr Mlangeni served 26 years in prison, incarcerated for most of the time on Robben Island. He was released in 1989.

After his release, he served as a member of parliament and lived in Soweto until his death.

What was the Rivonia trial?

The Rivonia Trial, lasting from October 1963 to June 1964, is widely considered to have been a pivotal point in the fight against the white minority government in South Africa and brought Nelson Mandela to the world stage.

Mr Mandela and Mr Mlangeni were convicted along with six others of sabotage in the trial which was named after the suburb of Johannesburg where some of them were arrested.

They served long prison terms with Mr Mandela’s being the longest, 27 years, until his release in 1990.