At least 150 children under 16 have been detained in the last six months. Lawyers acting for parents estimate that the total since June 1976 is over 300. Most have been held under the Terrorism Act which provides for indefinite detention in solitary confinement; the majority were eventually acquitted or discharged.
In Port Elizabeth, one child detained was found to be only seven years old. In the Cape large numbers of 12, 13 and 14 year olds were held, some for several months. Under South African law those under 14 are presumed incapable of criminal intent.
