The Soweto Community Council, elected on less than 5% percentage poll in early 1978, (see FOCUS 15 p.8) has decided "in principle" to establish a community guard as a vigilante force to supplement the police in Soweto. This community guard was provided for in the Community Council Act of 1977, and fears were widely expressed at the time that these guards would in fact be a legalisation of the Makgotla tribal courts, which would be used for political repression in African townships (see FOCUS 12 p.14; 15 p.9).
The Soweto Community Council is considering draft regulations for the setting up of the guards. Some of the regulations are: people found guilty of obstructing the black community guards will be liable to fines of R90 or 90 days imprisonment; guards will be allowed to carry knobkerries (clubs) and "more lethal weapons", but not firearms; there will be three ranks in the guard forces — Main guard, Supervisor and Guard, all of whom will be subordinate to all members of the South African Police.
The chairman of the Soweto Council, Mr. David Thebehali, has apparently given assurances that he will not allow guards to be used as an instrument of political control. (RDM 26.1.79)
Although these guards will supposedly be under the direct control of the Soweto Community Council, it seems likely that they may be integrated with the black law enforcement officers of the Government West and East Rand Administration Boards. These officers are popularly known as 'blackjacks'. They are responsible for tasks such as collecting rents, checking passes and conducting evictions from township houses, and they were armed after the Soweto uprisings in 1976. All 22 Administration Boards governing South Africa's African population employ these law enforcement officers.
In a recent interview with the Rand Daily Mail, Mr. Schalk van der Merwe, chairman of the East Rand Administration Board (ERAB) said: "The Act on Community Councils makes provision for the councils to have their own police forces. White city councils do not have this function. We hope the East Rand community councils will take over these highly trained men to serve as community guards."
The article revealed that in 1979 more than R20,000 would be spent by ERAB renovating the "training farm" for these officers, so that 100 men at a time would be able to attend courses.
In the same article a spokesman for WRAB was quoted as saying that his board had a three months training programme for their law enforcement officers, after which some were chosen for firearm training. (RDM 20.2.79)
