The trial of the journalist Anthony HOLIDAY opened on 15 November in Pretoria Supreme Court. He pleaded not guilty to charges under the Terrorism Act of promoting the policies of banned organisations by establishing an underground cell with three other people; using an office and duplicating equipment to prepare and publish propaganda material; receiving money from the ANC and/or the SA Communist Party; consenting or trying to undergo training in subversive activities in Britain in 1969; distributing one or more of 11 documents mentioned in the indictment; and trying to train recruits in evading surveillance.
The alleged acts were said to have taken place between September 1969 and July 1975, while Holiday was political reporter with the Rand Daily Mail. The first witness was his former colleague Patrick Weech, subeditor on the RDM, who was warned as an alleged accomplice but promised indemnity if his evidence was satisfactory to the State.
Weech said that in August 1968 he had offered to help Holiday in his political activities, and had addressed envelopes, helped to duplicate a pamphlet entitled "Revolt - a Journal for Radicals" and put copies into 2-300 envelopes. In September 1971 he had assisted in producing another issue of "Revolt" and later an edition of "Inkululeko". He claimed that Holiday had instructed him in secrecy and checking for bugging devices.
After giving evidence Weech was released after 108 days in solitary detention. He had no complaints about his treatment and added "There were quite a few security police who were exceptionally kind to me."
The second witness was Capt. Fourie of the Cape Town security police, who had participated in the arrest and interrogation of Holiday and who denied defence allegations of assault. Mr Harry Mashabela, a Star reporter detained at the same time as Holiday and Weech, and also warned as an accomplice, told the court he had been approached by Miss Rosemary Arnold, librarian with SA Associated Newspapers (and named as accomplice in the indictment but who is no longer in South Africa) on Holiday's behalf. Mashabela said he met Holiday twice, helped to mail one issue of "Revolt" and refused to have any more dealings with Holiday. He also stated that Holiday had received money from the ANC and/or SACP for his pamphlet activities. In cross examining Mashabela, defence counsel suggested that his evidence incriminated Miss Arnold and had been altered to fit Holiday, who was the one on trial.
Holiday was not called to the witness stand, and the closing submission for the defence conceded several prosecution points, viz. that Holiday had rented the office specified and bought duplicating equipment in order to prepare "propaganda material" on behalf of the ANC and SACP; and that between 1970 and 1972 Holiday had produced and distributed some of the pamphlets named in the indictment.
However, it was denied that Holiday had recruited Weech, Mashabela or Arnold to assist him; they had volunteered to help.
On 19 November Holiday was convicted on all counts except that of undergoing training in subversive activities in London. He was sentenced to six years imprisonment. In a statement to the court he said he had pleaded not guilty although admitting some of the charges because to have done otherwise would have implied that he considered his actions morally indefensible. He also said that political activities had given a meaning to his life when he most needed it, through "the national liberation movement and the example set by some of the members." He had suffered assaults and threats in detention, as a result of which he had made a statement to the police.
Mashabela was re-detained after giving evidence and released three days later. Weech resigned from his job at the Rand Daily Mail.
