In 1976 fifty new banning orders were issued in terms of the Internal Security Act (formerly Suppression of Communism Act). Four were withdrawn and 28 expired, of which three were renewed.
At the end of the year 146 bans were in force, including 21 renewed bans (one renewed three times, 11 twice and 9 once).
It was claimed in the House of Assembly in January that over the past 20 years some 1200 banning orders have been issued. According to the Black Sash (W. Cape) there has in some recent cases been a serious delay between the orders being served and the official announcement appearing in the Government Gazette, the plight of less well-known victims being thus concealed from public knowledge, sometimes for up to three months.
