The South African government in May accused the South African Council of Churches (SACC) of promoting unrest, urging civil disobedience and furthering the aims of the banned ANC. This attack coincided with the arrest of 53 clergy protesting in Johannesburg against the detention of Rev. John Thorne and their subsequent appearance in court under the Riotous Assemblies Act.
The Prime Minister P.W. Botha told a Republic Day meeting that the SACC had received about R2.5 million from overseas during 1978 and had channelled this "to numerous bodies and projects with only one purpose - to further unrest". He also said: "The idea of civil disobedience and passive resistance is closely connected with the development in the field of so-called non-violent actions. The link of these actions with actions of the ANC becomes quite clear for everyone who is involved with our security".
The SACC secretary-general Bishop Desmond Tutu responded with a statement saying that funds had been used for legal defence of people charged under "the vicious security legislation dreamt up by the Nationalist government", and the SACC was proud of its actions. It also provided assistance to banned and detained persons and political prisoners and would continue to do so. Finally, the SACC had given money to self-help projects "to try to defuse a volatile and tense situation in the country", and was working towards "a just, open and non-racial society where everyone counts".
Rev. Thorne, of the Congregational Church in Bosmont, Johannesburg, was detained on 24 May and held for a week. A month earlier he addressed 5000 Coloured students at a meeting in protest against inferior education. The students decided to continue their boycott of classes and lectures and were told by Rev. Thorne that "the churches are standing solidly behind you". Speaking for the Coloured community, he said "For too long our destiny has been prescribed for us. We are here today to let South Africa know that we are taking control of our destiny".
A few days later Bishop Tutu (whose passport was withdrawn in March) addressed 2000 residents of Lenasia, the Johannesburg Indian township, urging parents to pledge their solidarity with the students' education boycott. At the same time the Anglican Bishop of Cape Town, Rev. Bill Burnett, issued a statement calling on the government to eliminate educational inequities.
The SACC held its annual conference at the beginning of May, at which the organisation pledged to identify itself with "the people's liberation struggle", and to adopt action programmes in defiance of unjust laws. Among other resolutions were ones calling for the release of political prisoners and for support for ministers who celebrate 'mixed' marriages. A proposal to march to Church Square Pretoria and nail the Freedom Charter to church doors in defiance of the Riotous Assemblies Act was defeated by one vote.
CLERGY CHARGED
On 26 May 53 clergy were arrested by police as they marched from Braamfontein towards John Vorster Square security police HQ to demand Rev. Thorne's release. They were then taken to John Vorster Square by police van and held overnight. The following day all were charged under the Riotous Assemblies Act. They were Bishop Desmond TUTU (SACC) Bishop Timothy BAVIN, Rev. Simeon NKOANE, Canon Michael CARMICHAEL, Fr. Arnold HIRST (all Anglican) Rev. Joseph WING, Rev. Geoffrey DUNSTAN (Congregational) Rev. Stanley PITTS, Rev. Peter STOREY, Rev. Walter MBETHE, Rev. Tom CUNNINGHAM, Rev. Ted SMITH, Rev. Jimmy PALOS, Rev. Russell HARRISON, Rev. Cecil BEGBIE, Rev. Margaret FOURIE (all Methodist) Rev. David MANLESS, Rev. Rob ROBERTSON, Mr AITKEN (Presbyterian) Rev. Fred BELL (Lutheran) Rev. Thomas ANTHONY (from Canada) and 32 others. Mrs Leah TUTU was also arrested. The clergy were alleged to have contravened the Riotous Assemblies Act by attending a prohibited gathering, and to have obstructed traffic. The case was remanded to 1 July and the accused granted bail.
35 of the 53 were found guilty on 2 July and were fined 50 rand or 50 days imprisonment on each of the charges; 17 others paid admission of guilt fines before the hearing, and the case against a Canadian churchman was withdrawn.
The appearance of the 53 clergy in Johannesburg Regional Court was followed by the separate appearance of eight others on a charge of attending an illegal gathering. The six were Rev. John THORNE, Rev. Cecil BEGBIE, Rev. Louis ILETT, Rev. Martinuis OCTOBER, Mrs Vesta SMITH, Mr Hanif VALLEY, Mr Thomas MARSH and Mr David JOHNSON. The last three are Johannesburg students detained on 27 April.
The case was transferred to Krugersdorp Regional Court, where they again appeared on 12 June and it was revealed that the charge related to the Bosmont meeting in April addressed by Rev. Thorne and the other accused. The case was remanded to 12 August.
