Daily Dispatch Building

The newspaper is internationally known for its editor from 1965 to 1977, Donald Woods. Donald was staunchly anti-apartheid. He saw early on the inevitability of the failure of apartheid, the growing isolation of this country and majority rule. He is also loyal to concepts of justice, to organisations that do right and to friends who do likewise. He developed a friendship with another charismatic man, Steve Biko, that was to change his life. Donald was persuaded that Biko was fighting for the upliftment of blacks, without the aid of whites, but without violence. Woods saw him as a prime minister of a future South Africa. On the day of Biko’s death, Woods and Glyn Williams worked through lunchtime designing the page one for the next day with John Horlor, then managing director of Demaprint, the colour printing subsidiary. Donald suggested a big colour picture of Biko and the words "A hero of the nation" in English and Xhosa. It was a significant departure from the style of the Daily Dispatch, and is regarded as one of its more historic issues. Woods was on his way to the United States when he was arrested at Jan Smuts Airport, Johannesburg, on November 19 1977 and banned for five years for writing and speaking publicly about government responsibility for the death of Biko. He lived in exile in London until his return to work as associate director of the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism in Johannesburg. In exile, he wrote six books on the South African issue and briefed 37 heads of government, urging strong pressure against the apartheid state.