OTHER TRIALS TRADE UNIONISTS AND LABOUR * Four former employees of the Toyota Marketing Company in Sandton, who were charged under a rarely used section of the Riotous Assemblies Act, were acquitted.
The four are Charles NGOBESE, Johannes NGWENYA, Wilfred SIHLANGU and Obed MABASO. It was alleged that they tried to prevent workers going to work during a stoppage at the Toyota plant in January 1981. (Star 10.10.81; see FOCUS 35 p.5).
- In the Eastern Cape several trials of South African Allied Workers Union (SAAWU) members have taken place at Mdantsane. On 12 October 24 members of SAAWU had their charges of public violence withdrawn in the district court. They were among the 500 workers dismissed after the strike at Wilson-Rowntree in February 1981. On 16 October charges of attending an illegal gathering against 35 SAAWU members were dropped. They were arrested in May 1981 after attending an East London court case involving a colleague. (Star 17.10.81).
On 7 October 163 trade unionists appeared in the Mdantsane Regional Court on charges under the Riotous Assemblies Act and Ciskei emergency regulations. Police removed members of the public from the courtroom. None of the accused were asked to plead and were released on bail. They were due to appear again on 8 January. (CT 8.10.81).
In Port Elizabeth seven workers appeared in court on 16 October in connection with a strike at the General Post Office. All are members of the General Workers Union of South Africa (GWUSA). Two other GWUSA members appeared in court during the same week, also in connection with the GPO strike. All were remanded in custody (RDM 17.10.81).
- Thirteen dismissed strikers at Cobra Brass-works in Krugersdorp were arrested on 1 October and appeared in court on 2 October charged with "intimidating" workers in an attempt to prevent them from returning to work (RDM 2.10.81).
- On the East Rand 11 former employees of Telephone Manufacturers of South Africa in Springs appeared in the KwaThama Magistrates Court in the middle of October. All were charged with assault and had their cases postponed (Star 17.10.81).
- In September the Transvaal Supreme Court set aside the sentences and convictions of 177 bus-drivers of the Greyhound Busines who had been convicted of charges relating to a strike earlier in the year.
In February 1980, 188 drivers were arrested after a dispute about wages. Eleven pleaded not guilty at the subsequent trial. The rest were sentenced to 18 months jail suspended for five years. The trial was conducted in such haste that the workers were unable to secure legal representation.
In setting aside the sentences the judges said that not only were the initial court procedures irregular, but that the original sentences were 'draconian' (FM 11.9.81; FOCUS 34 p.5).
MEETINGS AND DEMONSTRATIONS * The case against six people arrested on 18 August in demonstrations outside the Pretoria Supreme Court during the Sasol/ Boosensys treason trial (Tsotsobe and others, see FOCUS 37 p.4) has been struck from the roll. Defence counsel requested the magistrate to withdraw the case because, after three months, the charges had not been properly formulated and the accused had not been asked to plead to charges of resisting arrest and obstructing the police. The magistrate agreed to withdraw the case until the State had completed its investigations (Star 7.11.81).
- Three people who attended a meeting at the men's hostel at Duncan Village, East London, on 4 February 1981 were fined R100 (or 50 days) on 12 October after they were found guilty under the Riotous Assemblies Act. The State alleged that they attended a meeting of workers from Model Dairy. Permission to hold the meeting had not been obtained from the Minister of Justice or the local magistrate (DD 13.10.81).
- Forty-seven University of Cape Town students were due to appear at the end of November on a charge of holding an illegal gathering. They were arrested in May 1981 while demonstrating outside the Good Hope Centre in Cape Town, where the Fourth World Meat Congress was being held. One student who did not appear at an earlier hearing was fined R40 for attending the 'illegal' gathering (CT 20.8.81; 10.9.81).
- Forty-eight women and a man made a brief appearance in the Benoni Magistrates Court on 8 October on charges of holding an illegal gathering in Wattville, Benoni, on 7 October. They all pleaded not guilty and no evidence was led. They were due to appear again on 25 November and all were released on their own recognisances.
They were all arrested while marching to the local housing office to protest against a recent rent increase (S 9.10.81).
PUBLIC VIOLENCE AND OTHER TRIALS * Charges of arson brought against eight Evaton people were withdrawn in a Vanderbijl-park Regional Court at the end of September.
The charges were a sequel to the gutting and looting of the Evaton shopping centre in April 1981. Also gutted were at least eight motor vehicles and a beerhall (S 1.10.81).
- Seven members of the Vaal branch of the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) were convicted on 13 October in the Vereeniging Regional Court of a charge of public violence. A main charge of sabotage was withdrawn after a plea of guilty had been entered on the other charge. Four of the accused were fined R400 or 12 months imprisonment while the other three R300 or 12 months. All were sentenced to a further four years imprisonment suspended for five years.
The seven admitted responsibility for a fire which broke out at a school in Evaton and to the smashing of several buses on 15 June 1981. The buses were carrying commuters to work in defiance of a stay-away call made by COSAS (S 14.10.81).
- In Queenstown 11 youths were found not guilty of sabotage and four other charges in September. Their appearance arose out of the school boycotts and unrest in Queenstown in 1980.
In his judgement the magistrate said a number of witnesses had let the State down and as a result a number of allegations could not be proved (DD 3.9.81).
- In another trial in Queenstown four youths were found guilty of sabotage in the Regional Court on 3 October.
The youths, three aged 17 and one aged 15, were charged with sabotage, as well as six alternative counts of arson, malicious damage to property, robbery, and threatening violence. They all pleaded not guilty.
The case arose out of incidents which occurred between June and October 1980 at a school which was burnt down. The four were each sentenced to five years imprisonment (DD 4.9.81; FOCUS 36 p.9).
