In the first four months of their existence Rhodesia's Special Courts dealt with 89 cases, according to the Ministry of Justice. The latest cases to be reported are summarised here, bringing the total recorded in FOCUS to 146.
24 August : Chipinga Jimmy MAPOSA (MKWAZA) was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for failing to report the presence of guerillas. He was alleged to have been invited to join a guerilla group, which he did, serving as a porter. On reaching the Mozambique border he asked for payment and was told that guerillas did not pay wages, whereupon he left them and returned home. (RH 28.8.76; BBC 1.9.76)
HASANI, a kraalhead, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for failing to report guerillas. Between March and July guerilla groups came three times to his kraal, and when questioned he twice denied having seen them. (RH 28.8.76)
John MUCHENJERA was goaled for 17 years for having undergone guerilla training, having assisted and failing to report guerillas. The court found that he joined a guerilla group which came to his kraal, received rudimentary training with a machine gun and in turn gave similar training to two youths. (RH/RDM 28.8.76)
Lift PANGANAYI was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for failing to report guerillas. The court was told he had been in contact with various gangs and had received loot from a robbed store. (RH/RDM 28.8.76)
26 August : Chipinga Nyamwata JANI was sentenced to death for recruiting three others for guerilla training. (RH 28.8.76; BBC 1.9.76)
Before 2 September : Umtali Daniel NEDANHE (19), Timothy NYANDUKAI (20) both from Chipinga; Gilbert FORAI (18) and Hartson VIYAY (18) of Melsetter were each sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for attempting to undergo military training. All four pleaded guilty but a plea of not guilty was entered by the court. (Salisbury radio 2.9.76-BBC 6.9.76; RH 3.9.76)
2 September : Bulawayo Mary NGWENYA, of Mawabeni near Balla Balla, was jailed for eight years for giving food to three guerillas, and failing to report their presence. Three years of the sentence were suspended.
At the in camera hearing, which lasted four days, it was alleged that the three guerillas stayed at Ngwenya's kraal before attacking the Range Store at Balla Balla on July 7, when the storekeeper Leonard Ashby was killed and his wife wounded. Mrs. Ngwenya, mother of eight, pleaded not guilty.
Three others from the same area appeared on a similar charge, but the outcome was not reported in the press. They were Herbert NKALA, James NKOMO and Rex MPOFU. (RH 31.8.76; 1/3.9.76)
? 3 September : Umtali Lucian DANGIRWA (28) was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for failing to report guerillas in June. His widowed mother Ethel DANGIRWA (45) was sentenced to nine years (four suspended) and his cousin Mathew HAMADZIRIPI (23) to nine years with labour on the same charge.
The court was told that the three were members of a reasonably well-to-do family from the Mugambwi Stores in the Makoni Tribal Trust Land near Rusape. They had been asked by guerillas at gunpoint to supply food and clothing and also to drive them to the TTL border to identify European farms. The three were found not guilty of assisting guerillas, on the grounds that they had acted under duress. (RH 4.9.76)
3 September : Gwelo Becki Back MPOFU was jailed for 25 years for having a hand grenade. He had acquired this from a guerilla when he and other young men from his village were recruited in April. After a clash with security forces the group had scattered and Mpofu returned home, with the grenade. (RH 4.9.76)
7 September : Umtali Clever MUREMEREDZO was sentenced to five years imprisonment (two suspended) for helping four men leave the country for military training. (RH 8.9.76)
7 September : Karoi Four employees of the Tsetse Control Department in Urungwe Tribal Trust Land were convicted of feeding guerillas or failing to report their presence. Peter GIBSON (22) Dickson SIAMBOBOLE (23) and Ephraim TAGWIREYI (19) were said to have sheltered guerillas for ten days. Gibson and Siambobole were sentenced to ten years (three years suspended) and Tagwireyi to six years (two years suspended). A gate guard named SARIKOSI was sentenced to four years (two suspended) for failing to report the guerillas' presence.
Two other Tsetse Control Dept. employees in Vuti African Purchase Area, whom Siambole had told of the guerillas, were convicted of failing to report their presence. Richard MUKWANZA (21) was sentenced to four years (two suspended) and Kingiron SIAMALAMBO (22) to three years (two suspended). (RH 8.9.76)
Sandi ZONDANI and Chikore TENDA were sentenced to eight years (four suspended) and four years (two suspended) respectively for failing to report guerillas. Both men were employed at Ma's Luck Mine, Urungwe TTL, and helped to feed guerillas both inside their compound and outside. (RH 8.9.76)
Chidyakurima SMITH (26) was sentenced to eight years (three years suspended) and Mutandwa DAMSON (55) to six years (three suspended) for failing to report guerillas in Urungwe TTL. Two 18 year old boys were also convicted of the same offence, and each sentenced to eight cuts and a three year suspended jail sentence. (RH 8.9.76)
Ibid. (either Karoi or Sinoia) Two other unidentified accused, whose case was held in camera, were sentenced to six years imprisonment (three years suspended) for failing to report guerillas. (RH 8.9.76)
The above four cases, and the sitting of the Special Court which dealt with them, related to incidents that occured from 23-27 August.
8 September : Bulawayo Ben Mbeji DUBE was sent to prison for life for possessing 12 hand grenades and failing to report the presence of guerillas. Chairman of the Wenlock District branch of the African National Council, Dube had been told his family would be killed and his kraal destroyed if he reported the guerillas. (RH 9.9.76)
17 September : Gwelo Akonrene April HOVE and Jemile SHUMBA (names phonetic) from the Belingwe TTL were sentenced to death. Hove was convicted of encouraging looting and aiding the abduction of 14 people for guerilla training, and Shumba of laying mines and acts of terrorism. (BBC 21.9.76)
20 September : Fort Victoria Two farmers from Mshawasha African Purchase Area, named as SHADRECK and MATARIRANO were jailed for eight years and a third, named MHUTE, was jailed for six years for failing to report guerillas. A statement of agreed facts said guerillas had visited the area in July. Shadreck and Matarirano had seen them twice, Mhute only once. (RH 21.9.76)
Andreas TARISAYI was jailed for ten years for failing to report guerillas, after pleading guilty. A taxi driver in Nyanja TTL, Tarisayi did not disclose an accidental meeting with guerillas on 13 August. (RH 21.9.76)
NINE TO HANG Nine men were sentenced to death in Salisbury on 30 August and 6 September after being convicted of planting bombs in and around Salisbury in June and July (See FOCUS 6, p. 14)
Eight of the men, charged together with acts culminating in grenade attacks on the Pink Panther restaurant and La Boheme night club, alleged that their statements had been given under intimidation and after assault. On 25 August the special court judge found their evidence untrue and ruled that the statements were admissible. The trial then proceeded.
One statement (name not reported) described the obtaining of explosives from Mtoko and the mining of a railway track. Others described how stick grenades were obtained from and explained by guerillas in the Mtoko area. The grenades were used on 20 July: one group of four men, both with two grenades, went to the Pink Panther restaurant and a similar group to the La Boheme. "Not wanting to kill . . . I reluctantly threw the grenade on the side-walk in front of La Boheme where it exploded . . . Then I left the scene", said one statement. "Our objectives were to frighten people and the government so the government could return to talks or just hand over the country to majority rule sooner."
Pleading guilty, the men were convicted of the capital crime of acts of terrorism and sabotage. They gave evidence in mitigation of sentence. Several of the accused said they had taken part in the actions because they had been threatened. All claimed they had intended to avoid causing injury.
The judge rejected the defence plea for clemency. Elias MADOVI (30) George NYAGU (22) Hozeah GANDIWA (29) Crispen MUSHIPE (20) Moses TSANZI (21) Norman MUTOVONI (21) Frederick MUZIKENYEDZE (20) and Stone CHAKABVAPASI (19, formerly unnamed) were all sentenced to death. (RH 25-28/31.8.76)
In a separate trial Philip NJAGU (21) was accused of participating in the same acts (see FOCUS No. 6 p. 14) Njagu pleaded guilty to five charges including the railway track explosions and two at the Karanga beerhall. He pleaded not guilty to the Pink Panther and La Boheme incidents. He too alleged that his statement had been given after he had been assaulted, with electric shocks, but the judge rejected this. And so on 6 September Njagu, like the others, was sentenced to die. (RH 1-4/7.9.76)
