An appeal by ENOCK MATORE (40), a businessman in Umfuli TTL, against a prison term of 3 years (2 suspended), for failing to report guerillas, was dismissed in June.
A sentence of 7 years imprisonment (2 suspended) imposed on a Coloured farmer, DAVID SAMUELS KILPIN (44), was increased to a term of 12 years by the Appellate Division at the end of June. Kilpin, the owner of a 2,200 acre farm in the Shamva area, had been sentenced by the Salisbury Regional Court on 7 April, for assisting and failing to report guerillas. He is the first non-African farmer to be convicted of this offence. Dismissing the appeal, the Chief Justice said that a 5 year effective term was too "lenient".
WESTON NATHAN CHIMBOZA, a store-keeper at Armadine Mission, Headlands, OZIAS CHIMBOZA and GREY NHUNHAMA, all had partly suspended 5 year prison terms imposed for failing to report guerillas, completely suspended on appeal in July. Weston's wife REGINA, the sister-in-charge of the mission clinic, and OLIVER HWINDINGWE, head-master of the mission, had each received completely suspended 5 year prison terms at the original trial.
A 7 year prison term imposed on PIAS BAKER FUNYANI for giving moral support and shelter to guerillas was reduced to 5 years on appeal. An appeal by KENNEDY TOLO TSHUMA, sentenced to 5 years at the same trial, was dismissed.
Charges of failing to report guerillas were withdrawn against the headmaster of Kadzimwenje School, Sipililo, CASSIAN WILLIAM MUNGWINI.
JAMES KASIMU, a gardener at Camarie Farm, Norton, was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment at a retrial, for falsely denying knowledge of guerillas. He had previously received a 10 year term.
Nine unnamed youths (four girls and five boys) and one adult man, MUTSANGWA WHIZA, of Gomwe kraal, Mangwende TTL, Mrewa, pleaded not guilty to allegedly apprehending Whiza's son, Paradzai Whiza, a district assistant, and handing him over to a group of guerillas. The case was adjourned until 21 August. Paradzai Whiza, who stated that he had managed to escape from the guerillas, subsequently gave evidence against LAZARUS CHIMOMBA. Paradzai said that when he went to his father Mutsangwa's kraal, the latter had shouted: "Go away from my home because you are Mr. Smith's son".
VINCENT KISI and FANUEL KISI, inmates of Phillimon kraal, Chimanda TTL, were acquitted of charges of assisting guerillas and failing to report their presence, with one alternative charge of murder.
LAZARUS CHIMOMBA, charged with committing an act of terrorism by handing a district assistant over to a group of guerillas in the Mrewa area, was acquitted following the State's withdrawal of the case. Chimomba stated that he had been brutally assaulted by the police.
Three members of the UANC, TINEYI MUNENGA CHIRIMARARA, RICHARD VERE and DOUGLAS SIDNEY MAROWA, pleaded not guilty to recruiting seven youths for guerilla training in Mozambique.
Judgement was due to be passed on an unnamed 16 year old youth charged with possessing arms of war when captured by security forces at Chiunze kraal, Wedza.
Charges of failing to report guerillas were withdrawn against MARON ZEBEDIAH NYIRENDA, chief foreman at Feugh Farm, Shamva, and DRYWELL CHAMASI.
REUBEN DONGA (22), a former bartender at a Salisbury hotel and allegedly a member of ZPRA, the military wing of ZAPU, pleaded guilty in the Salisbury High Court to the murder of 18 villagers in the Zwimba TTL on 14 July 1978. The mass killing, in which the villagers were shot, bayonetted or burned to death when huts were set on fire, received extensive publicity in Rhodesia and overseas. Donga, who according to the regime surrendered to security forces shortly afterwards, was presented to the foreign press on 20 July. He described in detail his guerilla training in Angola and Zambia, and said that he had been asked to attack the village because it harboured guerillas loyal to Rev. Sithole. He was sentenced to death on 23 August.
Two more Roman Catholic priests were served with deportation orders by the Smith regime at the end of June 1978. Father Martin O'Reagan (42), of the Irish Carmelite order and superior of the Regina Coeli mission north of Inyanga, was given until 13 July to leave the country. Father O'Reagan had worked in Zimbabwe for 13 years and in November 1977 had received a three year suspended prison sentence for failing to report guerillas. He stated before his departure from Salisbury that the mood among Africans in the eastern border areas was now "very, very serious"; whites in the towns had "no idea" of the situation. Father Dieter Scholz (39), the Vice Chairman of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, was ordered to leave by 7 August. Charges against him and two other CCJP office bearers, concerning the publication of documents relating to the war and security force actions, were withdrawn in May 1978.
The six Roman Catholic bishops in Zimbabwe stated that the continued deportation of missionaries could only be interpreted as a sign that the interim government was still following the policies of the Rhodesian Front. At least 14 churchmen including 12 Roman Catholics, are now known to have been ordered out of the country since Bishop Donal Lamont was deported in March 1977.
A further 99 detainees were released from Wha Wha prison on 1 July 1978, together with one person detained in Salisbury. This brings the total number of persons known to IDAF to have been released under the terms of the internal settlement agreement to 874. According to figures published by the regime, 130 people still remain in indefinite detention. Speaking in the House of Assembly on 21 July, the Joint Minister of Law and Order, Mr. Hilary Squires, said that "it has not been found possible to release all persons in detention and if there still are a number of such people detained, then... it is simply not in the interests of public safety to release them". The Director of Prisons, Mr. Frank Patch, has revealed plans to convert Wha Wha, the regime's largest detention camp, outside Gwelo, into a prison for young people of all races.
