1 October: Umtali Regional Court The Roman Catholic Bishop of Umtali, the Rt. Rev. Donal LAMONT (65) was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour. He had pleaded guilty to 2 counts of failing to report the presence of guerillas at the Avila Mission in the Inyanga district 20km from the Mozambique border, and 2 counts of inciting Sister Vianney a nun at the Mission to do the same. Bishop Lamont was released on bail on his own surety, and pending his appeal. He said he was pleased that he had not received a sentence less severe than an African might expect under similar circumstances. (T/RH 2.10.76)
5 October: Bulawayo Regional Court CALVIN NKALA (23) was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment (4 years suspended), for failing to report the presence of a guerilla in New Luveve, an African township in Bulawayo. The guerilla, Calvin's brother Rogers Nkala, was killed in a battle in the township in which a white policeman, John Jeffrey, also died, on 2 September 1976. The court was told that Rogers Nkala, alias Solomon Maphosa, left Rhodesia in November 1975 and went to the Soviet Union for guerilla training, under the auspices of a banned political organisation. On his return he had gone to Salisbury, Bulawayo and the Gwanda-Kezi area where he had killed a white farmer, Mr. Jacob van Vuuren, and his son Mark. (RH 6.10.76; RDM 7.10.76)
13 October: Bulawayo Regional Court Five residents of New Luveve, an African township in Bulawayo, received prison sentences ranging from 5 to 13 years for harbouring or assisting, and failing to report the presence of guerillas. BERTHA KHUMALO, a school-teacher in Mpopoma, was sentenced to 5 years with 2½ conditionally suspended, for failing to report the presence of her younger brother whom she had not seen since 1968. PATRICIA MASINA, at whose house a guerilla and a white policeman had been killed in a gun battle, also received 5 years, with 2½ suspended.
NDODANA KEFAS NCUBE and TOMMY SABELO MOYO were sentenced to 13 and 11 years respectively for harbouring and assisting five guerillas. One of these was the guerilla subsequently killed in the 2 September gun battle (see above).
TRADEMAN TAFFI MOYO, a school teacher, was sentenced to 8 years for failing to report the presence of Stephen Moyo, a guerilla whom he met in Bulawayo in August. The trials were held in camera. (RH 13/14.10.76)
