Between the end of September 1975 and the end of February 1976 new banning orders under the Suppression of Communism Act were issued against 8 persons, old banning orders were renewed or extended on at least a further two persons, and six bans were lifted. New bans were imposed on the following (both for periods of 3 years):
- April Menziwe Mbeo, 28, of Umlazi, Durban was expelled from the University of Fort Hare in 1973, and became an administrator in the Black Allied Workers Union (BAWU) branch office in Durban. Detained in September 1974, he was held without trial for 170 days and released on 24 March 1975.
- Phumzile Majeke, 26, SASO local chairman at Fort Hare in 1972/3, and Natal regional secretary of SASO in 1974, was detained on 11 October 1974 under the Terrorism Act and held until 24 March 1975. Banned on 16.10.75.
New 2-year bans were imposed upon the following:
- Peter Norman Metshane of Bafokeng, in the Bophuthatswana (W. Transvaal) homeland. In 1965 he was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for leaving the country for military training.
- Don Molteno Matta of Mdantsane, near East London.
- Siegfried 'Bill' Bhengu of Nkandla, Natal. A member of the African National Congress, in 1965 he was tried and convicted under the Sabotage Act in Pietermaritzburg. He served ten years' imprisonment, and, like Metshane above, was banned on his release.
- Phillip Matthews, 64, of Orlando West, cousin of the late Professor Z.K. Matthews. Formerly regional chairman of the Soweto branch of the African National Congress, he was banned immediately after being released from Robben Island where he served 12 years.
- Caleb Motshabi, formerly of Bloemfontein, now restricted to Thaba 'Nchu (O.F.S.). In 1963 he was imprisoned under the 90-day law.
- Nongameli Mobbs Gquirana, of Port Elizabeth. In the mid-sixties he was twice sentenced to terms of imprisonment for activities connected with a banned organisation (the ANC): once at Addo in 1965 for 2 years, and also for 12 years (of which 2 were suspended on appeal).
Other developments were:
- The 5-year banning order on Steve Biko, 29, the first president of SASO and a leading figure in the Black Consciousness movement, which was imposed in 1973, was strengthened in December when he was forbidden to participate in the activities of the Black Community Programme.
- The ban on Rowley Arenstein, a Durban lawyer, was renewed for a further five years. Mr. Arenstein was one of the first persons to be banned under the Suppression of Communism Act, in 1952. His bans have been repeatedly renewed, and in recent years he has been under 12-hour and week-end house arrest, and debarred from practising as an attorney. In 1966 he was sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment under the same Act. He now works as a clerk in another attorney's office.
Banning orders were lifted in respect of the following:
- Mohammed Taufie Bardien, a Cape Town taxi driver who had been banned since October 1965. Mr Bardien was recently convicted of breaking his ban by taking passengers outside the magisterial district to which he was restricted. A prominent member of the Coloured People's Congress, he was imprisoned for a brief period in 1965 for a breach of his ban.
- Joseph Mati, of Mdantsane, near East London. Sentenced in 1964 to 7 years' imprisonment for sabotage and membership of the African National Congress, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree while in gaol, and is now studying accountancy. He had been banned since his release.
- Halton Cheadle, 27, a former Durban student and member of the Natal University Wages Commission who was involved in organising African trade unions in Natal and was banned in February 1974. He is now a legal clerk. In November 1974 Cheadle was convicted of contravening his banning order by attending a social gathering — a tea party attended by 6 of his friends. He was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment, suspended for 3 years. On appeal in April 1975 the sentence was reduced to 30 days, also suspended for 3 years.
- John Marinus Ferris, an electrician of Worcester, Cape, and member of the Coloured Peoples Congress, spent three periods in detention under the 90-day law in 1963/4. For various breaches of his banning orders (first imposed in 1964) he served over 3 years' imprisonment on Robben Island.
- Mabel Balfour, of Roodepoort, Transvaal. Secretary of the Transvaal branch of the Food and Canning Workers Union, and an executive member of SACTU, she was first banned in March 1964.
- Clive Keegan, 26, of Cape Town, a former vice-president of NUSAS. In respect of Keegan the Minister of Justice Mr J. Kruger said he had decided to end the ban "because of the fact that for a long period he has strictly adhered to his banning orders, and I have had indications that he has to some extent changed his views." This was the only case in which the Minister gave reasons for lifting a ban.
