The increasingly frequent deaths of political detainees and the continuous reports of torture and assaults have caused growing concern both inside and outside South Africa.
A dossier compiled and published by the Christian Institute containing reports of court hearings, trials, inquests and parliamentary questions and answers, details numerous allegations of torture. Although all the material used in the report came from unbanned published sources (newspapers, Hansard and surveys by the S.A. Institute of Race Relations), the dossier, entitled "Torture in South Africa", was banned by the authorities seven days after publication.
The report contains evidence from 115 political detainees and prisoners of brutal tortures to which they were subjected. Sworn affidavits from 87 people detail tortures including electric shock treatment, assaults, tying weights to testicles, throttling and placing canvas bags over the head of detainees. Other methods of torture include non-stop interrogation for several days and nights by teams of security police, forcing detainees to stand for long periods on bricks and constant threats of death.
In a letter accompanying the report, the Christian Institute representative in Europe, Horst Kleinschmidt writes: "There is no doubt that torture, once used seemingly to extract information, is now inflicted indiscriminately, as a matter of routine. Today, it is possible that people will disappear, will suffer all kinds of deprivations, will be tortured virtually as a matter of course and then may be released one day, without explanation, without being charged or tried and without rights of compensation."
Within days of the publication of the C.I. report another political detainee was reported to have died.
Meanwhile reports of torture and assaults have continued. Three awaiting-trial prisoners, charged with non-political offences, told the Supreme Court in Pietermaritzburg that they were being tortured with an electric shock machine. The court granted an order restraining the police from assaulting or molesting them.
In Johannesburg five prisoners awaiting trial for various offences appealed to the Rand Supreme Court alleging unlawful conduct by the prison authorities.
Statements from three detainees alleging torture by Special Branch officers were read at the inquest on Mapetla Mohapi who died in custody. One statement had been made by Mr. Mohapi before his death alleging he had been assaulted by Warrant Officers Marx and "Spyker" van Wyk. Another statement made by Mr. T. Khetelo, who is still in detention, said that Captain P.A. Schoeman had assaulted him. Capt. Schoeman was also involved in the interrogation of Mr. Mohapi.
A third statement was made by Thenjiwe Mtintso, a former detainee and reporter on the East London Daily Dispatch, who is currently banned. Ms Mtintso was detained on 5 August last year and says that she was brutally assaulted by Capt. R. Hansen, head of the Security Branch in King Williams Town. After she had been beaten and kicked several times a wet towel was held over her face. "It made me feel I could not breathe... all the time I was struggling... When Capt. Hansen took the towel away he said; 'Now you see how Mapetla (Mohapi) died'".
