Four Soweto students appeared in August and again in early September in the Johannesburg Magistrates' Court on a charge of murder. On both occasions the case was postponed, pending a decision from the deputy Attorney-General.
Rose KUNENE (18), Gideon NKUTHA (18), Lydia DAKILE (22) and Jefferson LENGANE (22) were charged with the murder of Johannes Hendrick Benjamin Esterhuizen, a WRAB inspector on the first day of the 1976 uprisings - on 16 June - in Orlando East. (Post 17.8.79, 6.9.79) The Attorney-General later ordered the dropping of charges against the accused. (WIP Nov 1979)
The trial of Simon BHENGU (73), of Klipspruit, Soweto, on charges under the Terrorism Act (see FOCUS 24 p.3), was postponed to 22 October, when he appeared in the Johannesburg Regional Court on 1 October. (Post 2.10.79) Charges were dropped on 22 October. (WIP Nov 1979)
