According to the Minister of Police only six persons died in detention during 1976. They were Mohapi, Mbatha, Mamashila, Tshazibane, Mazwembe and Botha. Apart from Mbatha, who was said to have died from natural causes, the others all committed suicide, said the Minister. He gave no explanation of the deaths of the other seven people who died in police custody in 1976. Two of these (Joyi and Mosala) died in the Transkei, supposedly outside SA jurisdiction since 26 October 1976, and four (Mashabane, Mogatusi, Tshwane and Mzolo) appear to have been detained in Soweto during the disturbances; an inquest returned a verdict of suicide on Mashabane. The last was Joseph Mdluli. Five more people died in the first three months of 1977, according to the Minister in March. Of these three died of natural causes (Ndzanga, Malele and Malinga) and two committed suicide (Ntshuntsha and Mabelane).
INQUESTS TSHAZIBANE: The inquest on Wellington Tshazibane, the de Beers engineer who died on 11 December last year was held in April and found that he committed suicide. Police described how Tshazibane was arrested at Rand Airport on his return from Botswana following the explosion at the Carlton Centre and taken to John Vorster Square for interrogation. Later he was taken to his house in Soweto where a detonator and chemicals were found. He admitted having been involved in sabotage acts and agreed to make a statement. In a notebook provided by the police he began to write an account of his life. The next day he was found hanged in his cell.
NELSON MANDELA CHARGED Nelson Mandela, president of the African National Congress of South Africa, was reported in May to be facing a disciplinary charge in Robben Island prison under regulations covering insolent or disrespectful behaviour towards prison staff, officials or visitors. It is understood that Mandela called a warder a 'pig' and that the offence took place some time ago. Neither the verdict nor the sentence will be made public, according to a Prisons Department spokesman.
BOTHA: The inquest on George Botha who died on 15 December was held in Port Elizabeth in May and recorded an open verdict. Police witnesses said that the previous day Botha "showed signs of co-operation" during interrogation and furnished important information. This was in contradiction to a police statement at the time, which said that Botha had not yet been questioned. The following day he was taken from the police cells to the security police office in the Sanlam building and on the sixth floor he allegedly escaped from his escort and jumped to his death down the stairwell. However, the government pathologist who revealed that on the body there were at least four injuries, on the shoulder, chest, upper arm and armpit, which had been inflicted before death. The coroner found that Mr. Botha had not been assaulted, despite the injuries, accepting the police evidence in full.
MABELANE: The inquest on Mathews Mabelane, the Soweto student who died in detention at John Vorster Square on 15 February found that he fell accidentally. The magistrate accepted security police evidence to the effect that while being interrogated Mabelane escaped through a window onto a ledge and then lost his balance, falling ten floors to street level.
KHOZA: The inquest on the death of Aaron Khoza opened in May in Pietermaritzburg where Mr. Khoza died after being transferred from Krugersdorp. A warder from the Maritzburg Central Prison said that on 26 March Khoza was found dead in his cell hanging from the bars of the window by a jacket and two shoelaces. Doubt was cast on this however by photographs taken before the body was removed, showing a glassed window frame inside the bars.
RED CROSS VISIT ROBBEN ISLAND The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross visited Robben Island prison in April and reported that "Material conditions of convicted prisoners on Robben Island are in general satisfactory, but we hope for other improvements". In particular he said "We think the absolute lack of communication between prisoners and the outside world — no newspapers, no radios, visits once a month — are very severe".
390 POLITICAL PRISONERS The official figures for convicted political prisoners serving sentences as at 1 January 1977 were given as follows: [Table omitted]. The total of 310 at 1 January is an increase of 57 over the figure for 1.1.76 and has since then been augmented by over 70. The total number of political prisoners in South Africa is now thought to be about 390.
MONEY FROM ABROAD An official commission of inquiry into funds for voluntary organisations, which reported to the SA parliament in May, recommends tighter controls on money from abroad for religious purposes and defence costs in security trials. The commission, chaired by Prof. van Rooyen, also reported on fund-raising methods affecting a wide variety of organisations, and recommended greater control and co-ordination over 'border funds' for servicemen. It urged that those bodies — such as the Christian Institute — named under the Affected Organisations Act should be made to certify that none of their funds came from foreign sources.
