In February the Ciskei authorities disclosed that 74 persons were being held under emergency Proclamation R252, saying that not all of these were political detainees. The majority would appear to be bus drivers arrested following a strike. One detainee, Mdantsane lawyer Benjamin Buyisile Ntonga was detained on 8 September 1978 and released for two hours on 7 December before being re-detained. An urgent application for his release was brought in February by his mother, saying that he could not have contravened the emergency regulations in the short time he was free was rejected by the Grahamstown Supreme Court on 26 February. According to the judge, the Ciskei Chief Minister, Mr. L. Sebe claimed that Ntonga had conspired to contravene the regulations while in detention, and that under the regulations no court could order the release of any person who had been detained on the written order of the Ciskei Justice Minister. While in detention, Ntonga's residence permit was withdrawn because of his failure to occupy his house for over two months without the township superintendent's permission.

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