The appeal of Markus KATEKA (40) against the death sentence imposed on him in October 1980 under the Terrorism Act was heard in the Bloemfontein Appeal Court on 7 May 1981. Hendrik KARISEB, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment at the same trial, was given permission to appeal after a petition was presented to the Chief Justice of South Africa by his lawyer. Kariseb had earlier been refused leave to appeal. Judgement in both cases was reserved.
The DTA-controlled Council of Ministers is threatening to ban SWAPO as a political party inside Namibia. At a rally in Windhoek in May 1981, the deputy president of the DTA and member of the Council of Ministers, Chief Kuaimo Riruako, said that suitable steps would have to be taken soon to ban SWAPO unless it listened to the Council of Ministers.
Although SWAPO is not banned inside Namibia, its officials and supporters have suffered frequent attacks and detention. The SWAPO office in Windhoek has periodically been forced to close because of repeated raids and arrests of the workers there by police.
