As reported briefly in Focus 25, the twelve ANC members accused of high treason were on 15 November convicted and sentenced.
James MANGE was sentenced to death and the others to a total of 184 years' imprisonment. Sentences are as follows: Tladitsgae MOLEFE (23) 18 years' plus one year for contempt of court; John Mofokeng SEKETE (24) Jeffrey Ramasake LEGOABE (30) Thibe Jimmy NGOBENI (27) Bennet KOMANE (46) Titus MALEKA (25) Sydney CHOMA (23) Mandla Jack MTHETWA (22) and Mandlekosi HADEBE (27) – all 16 years' imprisonment plus one year (concurrent) for contempt; Andrew MAPHETO (20) 14 years' imprisonment plus one year for contempt; Vusimuzi Nicholas ZULU (28) 13 years plus one year for contempt.
Hadebe and Mthetwa were found not guilty on an additional charge of incitement to murder. The 42 alternative counts of terrorism against the accused were dropped as they were agreed to duplicate the treason charges.
James Mange and Vusimuzi Zulu applied for leave to appeal against sentence.
The twelve accused were all said to be ANC guerillas trained in Angola, USSR and elsewhere but were accused of various different acts in what amounted to a consolidation of trials. Sekete was said to have been involved in an armed clash between ANC guerillas and South African security forces near Witkleigat on 1 August 1978, and Molefe to have taken part in an armed clash near Madimola on 27 October 1978. Legoabe was said to have been in possession of arms in Soweto in March 1979. Ngobeni and Mapheto were accused of having reconnoitred and established arms caches in the Transvaal during 1978, while Komane was said to have reconnoitred and been in possession of arms at an unknown date. Maleka and Choma were charged with establishing arms caches near Dennilton in the Transvaal in February 1979. Hadebe and Mthetwa were said to have brought arms into Msinga and other districts of Natal. Zulu was accused of reconnoitring a pipeline near Merebank, Natal, while Mange was accused of planning to attack a police station and court at Whittlesea, Cape Province.
At least nine separate guerilla actions, taking place in various parts of the country, were thus described in the indictment, and the accused had been arrested at different times and different places.
None was charged with having caused death or injury and the trials were brought together presumably to demonstrate the security forces' ability to intercept guerilla infiltration into South Africa.
The trial was described by the Pietermaritzburg Council of Churches as an "appalling tragedy, brought about by the disastrous policies which have been pursued in this country for many years".
In a statement, the ANC said the sentences "vindicate in no uncertain terms the United Nations' unanimous conviction and declaration that apartheid is a crime against humanity" and demanded that the Pietermaritzburg 12 receive prisoner-of-war status and treatment.
