Following the disturbances outside the Heinemann Electric factory in Germiston in March, when police baton-charged a peaceable crowd four young workers and two young union organisers were arrested and charged under the Riotous Assemblies and Bantu Labour Regulations Acts.
On 30 March four young workers were arrested outside the factory. They were: Abram Mkhabela (29), Steve Maseko (26), Miriam Mohokare (22), Lillian Mashinini (29).
When they appeared in court on 2 April bail was opposed by police Capt. J.H. Loods who claimed that on arrest three had been armed, with a knobkerrie, iron bar and hosepipe, and all four had been threatening other workers who wanted to return to work. Eight of those threatened would give evidence, he said.
Bail was refused but granted at a later hearing. On 1 June the state was ordered by Germiston Regional Court to give more particulars of the charges against the four, who were due to appear in court on 9 June.
The two union organisers, Gavin Anderson (24) and Sipho Khubeka (23) (arrested on 6 May) were charged under the Riotous Assemblies, Bantu Labour Regulations, Industrial Conciliation and Police Acts. Their defence lawyers applied for the charges to be dropped on the grounds that they were unclear, and when the trial opened on 9 June it was remanded until 16 June.
TEXTILE UNIONISTS Four union organisers in Natal: June Rose Nala, secretary of the National Union of Textile Workers (NUTW), John Copelyn, secretary of the Textile Workers Industrial Union (TWIU), Christopher Albertyn, organiser of TWIU, Thizi Khumala, organiser of NUTW, were summoned to appear on 17 May under the Bantu Labour Regulations Act, charged with instigating and encouraging a strike of African textile workers at Natal Cotton and Woollen Mills in October 1975. 400 workers had stayed out for 10 days, demanding the removal of the personnel manager Mr Cornelius Sternkamp.
No further press reports were received of this case, but on the day the trial was due to open June Rose Nala was detained by the security police under the Terrorism Act.
