The trial of Breyten Breytenbach, the Afrikaans poet whose detention in August was reported in Focus No.1, took place in November. Expected to be "one of the most sensational trials in South Africa" it proved far less so following Breytenbach's decision to plead guilty. In late October the prosecutor Dr. Percy Yutar told the press that it was possible other detainees would be charged with Breytenbach, and that "if Breytenbach appears on his own we expect the case to last only a week or two. If there are other accused then of course the case will take much longer". In the event Breytenbach appeared alone, on 21 November.
The published indictment, contained a long list of charges under the Terrorism Act relating to an organisation called Atlas or Okhela allegedly set up at the request of the African National Congress (ANC) and consisting of White persons who had as their aims and objectives "the revolutionary transformation of South African society" by various means, including "armed struggle and underground work", and "the participation of White organisations in all forms of revolutionary struggle as led by the ANC." The ultimate goal of the organisation was said to be the overthrow of the government and its replacement by a "Black Government and/or a Communistic Society".
Sixteen co-conspirators were named. Of these, three were alleged members or supporters of the ANC living in Europe: Barend Schuitema, Jobst Grapow, and Donald Moerdijk. Two of the alleged co-conspirators are leading members of the African National Congress: Oliver Tambo (President) and Johnny Makhatini. One of the alleged co-conspirators, Rev. Don Morton, a South African living in the USA, was described by the prosecutor as a co-author of the scheme. Ten of the alleged co-conspirators were white persons detained in August or September; they were: Lawrence Dworkin, Horst Kleinschmidt, Norman Lewis, Gerry Mare, Patrick Martens, James Polley, Megan Reilly, Clara Durten Rohm, Karel Tip, Gordon Young.
Breytenbach entered a plea of guilty to the main charges under the Terrorism Act with certain amendments, which were accepted by the prosecution. Breytenbach admitted to: founding Atlas-Okhela to further the aims of the ANC in collaboration with Schuitema, Moerdijk, Grapow and Makhatini, and helping to draft its manifesto; recruiting Mrs. Rohm into Atlas-Okhela during January 1973 and asking her to take messages, and to obtain details of how to tap telephones and turn radio receivers into transmitters; instigating Young, Dworkin, Martens and Lewis to receive training in methods of secret communication, of forging documents and of resisting police interrogation; conspiring to and entering South Africa illegally; asking a friend Dr Coetzee to store a parcel of forged documents for him, and air-hostess Anna van Schalkwyk to post letters for him; instigating various co-conspirators to assist persons entering and leaving the country illegally, to communicate by coded messages and use code names, and to launch an underground press in SA.
Five of the detainees gave evidence for the prosecution: Mrs Rohm, Norman Lewis, Lawrence Dworkin, Karel Tip, and Glen Moss.
On 25 November Breytenbach was found guilty of having committed 11 "terrorist" acts. In mitigation the defence pleaded that he was an artist, and quoted some of his poems. The security policeman in charge of the case, Lt. Col. J.C. Broodryk, also spoke on Breytenbach's behalf, saying he was an idealist and a dreamer, had co-operated with the police and shown regret.
For himself Breytenbach read a long statement describing his life and the state of mind which had induced him to act as he did: "I now realise that the way in which I tried to work for the growth of our South African civilization and future, and the methods which I employed were wrong; that my doings were stupid and that with which I became involved could harm other people. I should wish to. if I could, repair the injustice and the pain which I've caused my people over the years...... I want to apologise to the people whom I've hurt, unintentionally, by what I've said or written. I specifically wish to apologise to the Prime Minister for an insulting poem which was addressed to him. There is and was no justification for it. I want to thank here in public Col. Broodryk of the SA Police, officer in charge of my case, as also the officers who worked under him for the correct and humane way in which I was treated from the beginning of my detention......"
Dr Yutar, (who prosecuted in the Rivonia trial of 1963), winding up for the prosecution, asked Breytenbach to state that the police had not influenced his decision to plead guilty, and that he had been misled by people abroad. Before echoing the defence's plea for the minimum 5 year sentence, Yutar devoted some attention to the alleged involvement of the World Council of Churches and the Christian Institute, but neither Horst Kleinschmidt nor James Polley, held in this connection, was called as a witness.
The judge said that although Breytenbach was sorry for what he had done and although the Okhela plans had got no further than the talking stage, his intentions had been serious and violent; he sentenced Breytenbach to nine years imprisonment. An appeal against the sentence was lodged. Following the conclusion of the case, the ten people held in detention since August and September in connexion with it were released.
