A further 9 people are known to have been sentenced to death for offences connected with the armed liberation struggle:
ABEDNIGO MAKHOSANKE DUBE, described as a ZPRA guerilla, was sentenced to death by the Salisbury High Court on 20 September 1979 on conviction of the murder of a white woman at a farm in the lower Gwelo area, Midlands province. He had allegedly visited the farm with seven other guerillas and told the court that he and his companions had not expected to find the deceased armed, but had merely wanted to talk to her.
AREKE MUJERI and MANDIVENGEREYI MUDENGE were both sentenced to death on 12 October 1979 by the Salisbury High Court on conviction of the murder of a white farmer, Terence Brymson, in the Victoria TTL, in July 1978. The deceased had allegedly been captured and handed over to guerillas. A third defendant, FELIX CHIKWEYA, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for his part in the murder. (BBC 15.10.79)
BRIGHTON TAPFUMANEYSI and JOSEPH JAIROS were both sentenced to death on 3 October 1979 by the Salisbury High Court on conviction of the murder of a white farmer, Brian Eastwick, of Vuka Farm, Centenary. A third man, EUTIMIO MAKONYE, was sentenced to life imprisonment. All three accused were members of the BSA Police Special Reserve and were employed as militia by Mr. Eastwick. They alleged that he had assaulted and treated them harshly. (RH 21.8.79; BBC 6.10.79). It is possible that the three defendants were conscripts called up since the regime's decision to extend national service to Africans. Many African conscripts are known to have been deployed in the Police 'B' Reserve.
HADSON HLABANGANA, SOLOMON MAFUYA NCUBE and JABULANI MDLONGWA were all sentenced to death on 26 July 1979 on unknown charges of a political nature. The three accused had been arrested at the beginning of May, and are believed to have been tried by special court martial.
NEVER KARANI was sentenced to death in Umtali during or before July 1979, on unknown charges of a political nature.
These cases bring the total number of people known to have been sentenced to death on political grounds since the introduction of secret hangings in April 1975 to 161. 39 of them have been convicted since the internal settlement agreement of March 1978.
According to reliable information reaching the IDAF, executions of convicted prisoners were continuing in Salisbury Central Prison at least up to the beginning of September 1979. It appears that in at least some cases, persons sentenced to death by special courts martial may be hanged within a matter of days of being admitted to prison on conviction, and that the procedures laid down in the martial law regulations for referring death sentences for confirmation to a specially constituted Review Authority (and under an amendment gazetted in August 1979, to the President as well) may not always be followed in practice. (See FOCUS 24, p.10)
NGWIZI HONATHON LUBAMBO, sentenced to death by a special court martial in November 1978 (FOCUS 24 p.10) has had his sentence quashed.
