Pretoria Prison break: Amazing story of the daring men who escaped notorious apartheid regime jail
Locked up in a maximum-security jail for leaflets against apartheid, they embarked on one of the most audacious escapes in history
Notorious: Guards at the prison
Straining to listen through the grill in his prison cell door, Stephen Lee heard the satisfying click of a key turning in a lock.
He had been waiting for this sound for several hours every night for two months.
It was a little noise that promised a big prize – freedom.
Locked up in a maximum-security jail for setting off harmless leaflet propaganda bombs spreading dissent against the apartheid regime in 1970s South Africa, Stephen and friend Tim Jenkin were about to embark on one of the most audacious prison breaks in history.
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.
But as Stephen would soon find out on a vital reconnaissance trip to the dentist, there were still a total of 10 doors separating them from freedom.
Imposing: Pretoria Prison