'Simon's coming out during the Delmas trial was pivotal. But Nkoli’s unique combination of charm and perseverance, and on the insistence of the team advocates that there should be one trial for all, Nkoli’s comrades were won over. They condemned homosexuality and demanded that Nkoli be tried separately believing that the state could use Nkoli’s homosexuality to discredit the trialists and the moral standing of the UDF as a whole. Many of his co-trialists were shocked initially. Whilst in prison, Nkoli came out to his co-accused during a heated debate about homosexual behavior in jail.
A four-year trial – the longest political trial in South Africa - began in the small town of Delmas. These charges potentially carried the death sentence. Shortly after the launch of the Saturday Group, Simon Nkoli, along with 21 other United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders, were arrested and charged with ‘subversion, conspiracy, and treason’.
