The arrest of her best friend , Bettie du Toit , in 1960 and the Sharpeville massacre spurred Gordimer 's entry into the anti-apartheid movement . Thereafter , she quickly became active in South African politics , and was close friends with Nelson Mandela 's defence attorneys ( Bram Fischer and George Bizos ) during his 1962 trial . She also helped Mandela edit his famous speech " I Am Prepared to Die " , given from the defendant 's dock at the trial . When Mandela was released from prison in 1990 , she was one of the first people he wanted to see
Sharpeville massacre
Sharpeville massacre
Nadine Gordimer