At least 58 SWAPO officials and members, most of whom were arrested at the end of April 1979, are still in detention under the Administrator General's Proclamation AG 26 of 18 April 1978. The detainees were at first held at Gobabis but are believed to have been transferred to Windhoek in August in an attempt by the police to break a hunger strike. The detainees are reported to have decided on this protest action on learning of the resignation of Justice M. Steyn as Namibia's Administrator-General and his replacement by Professor Gerrit Viljoen, the Chairman of the Broederbond.
On 23 July the Windhoek Advertiser reported that the release of Mr. Mokganedi Thlabanello, SWAPO publicity and information secretary inside Namibia, after two weeks in detention, left 67 SWAPO members still in custody under AG 26. According to the Windhoek Observer 71 SWAPO officials and members were detained under AG 26 at the beginning of September 1979. On 12 September, the SABC reported that 14 AG 26 detainees had been released, leaving 58 out of a total of 72 still detained.
