JOSEPH GUMBI Joseph Bheki GUMBI (24), of Newcastle, was sentenced in the Durban Regional Court to five years imprisonment for contravening the Terrorism Act. He was convicted of inciting Bongani Mpanza to leave South Africa for military training between June and September 1980.
PILLAY and OTHERS Five men charged with terrorism were acquitted on 19 May in the Johannesburg Regional Court after the magistrate ruled that the state had led insufficient evidence against them.
The five are Etienne PILLAY (19), Pinda MANAMELA (34), Jonas MOTAUNG (36), Nicodemus MOTAPO (35) and a 17 year old youth.
Manamela, Motaung and Motapo were charged with recruiting Pillay, the 17 year old and Kotloung Leballo, a state witness, for military training. Pillay and the youth were alleged to have encouraged each other and Leballo to undergo such training outside South Africa.
Prior to their first court appearance in December last year, the accused had been in detention since August 1980.
CONRAD LEKHUMBI The trial of Conrad LEKHUMBI (18), a member of the Mamelodi branch of COSAS, commenced in the Pretoria Regional Court on 2 July. He was charged under the Terrorism Act with recruiting three people to leave the country for military training last year. The trial was held in camera because two of the three youths whom it is alleged he recruited are minors and because all three are appearing as state witnesses. Lekhumbi pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The case was postponed on 16 July to 27 July. At the hearing Lekhumbi was acquitted of the charge. The acquittal followed a successful application by his defence to free him due to lack of evidence from the state.
