9 June: Bulawayo Magistrates Court An unnamed 18-year-old African girl was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment (2½ years suspended) for attempting to go for guerilla training. She had allegedly tried to cross into Botswana with four others.
15 June: Merandellas Magistrates Court Three members of the central branch of the ANC (Zimbabwe) youth wing in Salisbury, aged 15 and 16, were each sentenced to 8 cuts and 3-year suspended prison terms, for conspiring to leave the country for guerilla training. The three had discussed the possibility of going to Botswana, but had not in fact left their homes.
In a second trial before the same court, three youths aged 14 and 16 and convicted of attempting to leave the country for guerilla training in Mozambique, were remanded until 27 June for sentence.
On 14 June, 3 and 4 year prison terms imposed on four 15 year old youths for attempting to leave Rhodesia for training were commuted by the Appellate Division to whippings and suspended prison terms. At least one of the youths had been sentenced by a magistrates court. Chief Justice Macdonald, presiding, reiterated the view that in the absence of alternative places of detention, children under the age of 16 should not be sent to prison. He dismissed appeals by two other youths, aged 16 and 17, against 4 and 5 year prison terms imposed for the same offence.
According to the regime's Director of Social Affairs, Mr. Owen Harbottle, there are no "suitable" detention centres for children under 16 convicted under the Law and Order (Maintenance) Act. While probation hostsels existed for children convicted of shop-lifting, petty theft and suchlike, he said, "We cannot put youngsters like this together with those who have attempted to go for terrorist training. They are, after all, potential killers."
21 June: Bulawayo Regional Court 14 African men were sentenced to a total of 117 years' imprisonment for attempting to undergo guerilla training. All of them had been arrested in the Plumtree area, adjoining the Botswana border. Three 17 year old youths were each sentenced to 5 years (2½ suspended), and an 18 year old to 7 years. One of these four was initially identified as KNIGHT KUSA MKWEBU, aged 20. The other sentences were: MPILO COSMAS NCUBE (21) - 10 years; CARMEN NCUBE (24) - 10 years; CLEMENT NHLIZIYO (20) - 10 years; BOOKER WASHINGTON CHOKOWAMBA (19) - 8 years; DAVID MASILELA (21) - 9 years; LOVEMORE GUMBO (20) - 10 years; GIDEON NCUBE (23) - 10 years; GIDEON NTULI (24) - 10 years; MAJOR BANGARA (19) - 9 years; JUAWO JONES NDHLOVU (20) - 9 years.
1 July: High Court, Salisbury An unnamed youth, whose age was initially put at 16 but later fixed at 18 by the court, was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for possessing arms of war. He had been wounded and captured in an engagement with security forces in Matsai TTL, Bikita, in December 1976, having entered the country from Mozambique. In the course of giving his evidence the youth unsuccessfully challenged a statement he had previously made to the police on the grounds that it had not been made freely and voluntarily. He told the court that following his arrest, Detective Constable Ernest Tekere had threatened to take him to a rifle range, shoot him and burn his body.
7 July: High Court, Bulawayo JOSEPH BOLA DUBE (27) was sentenced to life imprisonment on conviction of murder with actual intent, robbery in connection with break-ins at commercial premises in the Wankie area, and failure to report guerillas. Passing sentence, the judge ruled that Dube had willingly and voluntarily associated himself with a group of guerillas who had killed a white farmer near Wankie.
8 July: Wankie Magistrates Court Father MAXIMUS GUMBO (34), the Roman Catholic Priest-in-Charge of Kariyangwe Mission in the Binga District, was given a 3-year suspended prison term on conviction of failing to report guerillas. An African witness told the court that he had stopped Father Gumbo's car and asked for a lift, as he wanted to report the presence of guerillas. Father Gumbo had refused the lift and driven away.
18 July: Regional Magistrates Court (unidentified) GIDEON NCUBE (22) was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment for attempting to leave the country for guerilla training. He had been arrested on a bus at Mangwe on 1 April.
27 July: Bulawayo Regional Magistrates Court RAPHAEL MASUKU (23) was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment (5 conditionally suspended) for failing to report the presence of guerillas. He had allegedly escaped from a guerilla camp in the bush outside Chinotimba Township, Victoria Falls, in November 1976. He had been arrested in Bulawayo in January 1977.
28 July: Shabani Magistrates Court TARUTORA MAPIRAVANA (45) appointed by the regime in 1975 as chief of 15,000 people in the Maprabano area of Belingwe TTL, was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment on conviction of seven charges of failing to report guerillas. He had allegedly called a meeting in December 1976 at the request of a guerilla group, concealed their presence from the authorities and provided them with food.
3 August: Bulawayo Magistrates Court MLOYISWA SIKWAZO SIBANDA and STEPHEN MANYANYATA MPOPU, from the Nkosikazi TTL, Inyati, were each gaoled for 3 years for failing to report the presence of guerillas in their area. A woman, OLITHA MPOFU, was given a 2 year conditionally suspended prison sentence for the same offence.
