Two men from Grahamstown were each sentenced to 18 months imprisonment (9 months suspended) and a 17 year old boy was given six cuts with a light cane after being convicted of contravening the Riotous Assemblies Act and the General Law Amendment Act by distributing pamphlets in Grahamstown African township in October.
The three who were detained in the third week of October were: Sydney ZOTWANA (32) assistant in African Languages Department, Rhodes university; Tamsanqa Moroka MANELI (23) and Zandisile Gilbert THOMSON (17). They were alleged to have given out leaflets urging African workers to stay at home for a week. At the trial evidence was given by three accomplices: Jack Philip Lewis, Rhodes University student; Alistair Maxegwana and Miss Lauren Vlotman, Rhodes student. One of the main organisers was said to be Vlotman's boy friend Peter Richer, also a Rhodes student; shortly before the trial of Zotwana and the two others opened, Richer was refused an extension of his temporary residence permit and left for Botswana.
After the case was over Jack Lewis was served with a five year banning order under the Internal Security Act restricting him to his home town district of Cape Town. Miss Vlotman's passport was withdrawn, preventing her from joining Richer in Botswana.
