Since mid-July 1984 hundreds of people have appeared in trials as a result of protests in townships. The charges ranged from public violence and attending illegal gatherings to possession of drugs and contravention of the pass laws.
- After protests by residents in Tumahole, near Parys in the Orange Free State, in mid-July, 51 people appeared in the Parys Magistrate's Court. Twenty-five were charged with public violence, 19 with theft, one with housebreaking and theft and six with creating a public disturbance. Sixteen were convicted and received sentences ranging from fines of R50 (or three months' imprisonment) to lashes. The rest were due to appear in court again in August.
On 12 November 15 people appeared in the Kroonstad Regional Court charged with inciting unrest among residents of Tumahole. Seven youths, including a twelve-year-old, were sentenced to canings.
- Five students from Atteridgeville, near Pretoria, arrested after the petrol-bombing of the home of the town's mayor on 7 August, appeared in the Pretoria Regional Court on 7 November charged with arson. The trial was postponed until 29 November.
- At least 141 people appeared in the Sebokeng Regional Court on 11 September to face charges of public violence, arson, attending an illegal meeting, housebreaking and theft, and being in possession of petrol-bombs. Many of the accused were arrested while waiting to hear the outcome of a meeting between clergymen, community leaders and Lekoa town councillors was dispersed by police firing tearsmoke and rubber bullets.
Eight of those charged with public violence appeared in the Vereeniging Regional Court on 11 October. The charge against Leonard KUMALO, a photographer for the Sowetan newspaper, was withdrawn and the trial of the remaining seven accused postponed.
- Following a ban on all meetings in a number of districts in the Vaal area, 598 mourners were arrested after a funeral of a person killed during the protests. All those arrested, including a number of children under 16 were held in custody for three days and refused bail when they appeared in the Sebokeng Regional Court on 26 September. However, 104 minors were released from custody by 1 October, when the accused appeared in the Vereeniging Regional Court on charges of public violence. On 5 October all were ordered to pay either R50 admission of guilt fines or R50 bail each. Most chose to pay admission of guilt fines.
- Twenty people arrested in Evaton during protests appeared in the Vereeniging Regional Court on 8 October and were charged under the Internal Security Act. No evidence was led and they were not asked to plead. The trial was postponed until 12 November.
- Four Sharpeville priests, Gabriel MAHLONGOKO, Washington MALUMBAZA, Ensley TAUNDE and Luther MAOZA appeared in the Vereeniging Magistrate's Court on 24 October charged with attending an illegal gathering. They were not asked to plead and were released on bail of R500. The trial was postponed to 19 November.
- Following the combined operation by police and army in Sebokeng, 354 people were arrested. Many were charged with pass law offences; other charges included possession of drugs, firearms, pornographic materials and stolen goods. About 140 of those arrested appeared in the Sebokeng Regional Court on 23 and 24 October and received fines of between R20 and R50, or alternatively prison sentences of 20 to 30 days. The trials of the remaining accused were transferred to the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court.
- A trial arising from incidents in January last year during a boycott of buses in Alexandra ended in the Johannesburg Regional Court in September when Khanda VILAKAZI (27) was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. Vilakazi, who pleaded not guilty, was accused of throwing stones which broke three bus windows.
- Twelve youths, including pupils at Daveyton High School, arrested during protests in the township, appeared on 4 October in a Benoni court charged with public violence. One pupil, Sydney ZWANE (24), showed the court injuries on his shoulders and chest which he said were the result of being beaten with a sjambok at a police station after his arrest. Another of the accused, Alexander RAPHODILE (19), vice-chairman of COSAS said he was beaten on the head a day after his arrest. The trial was due to resume on 15 November.
- A history teacher at the Balabela Senior Secondary School in the northern Transvaal town of Warmbaths, R S MOLEPO, appeared in the local magistrate's court on 10 September on a charge of attempted arson. He was arrested on 7 September after an alleged attempt to burn down the school. It was also reported that boycotting students damaged the school building and set alight two staff members' cars. Molepo was held in custody and the trial was postponed until 4 October.
- Fifty-three school pupils from Senaoane Secondary School in Soweto appeared in the Soweto Magistrate's Court on 25 October charged with public violence. The pupils, aged from 10 to 22, were not asked to plead pending further investigations.
- Charges of public violence against 247 students at the University of Transkei were withdrawn on 22 October in the Transkei bantustan. The students were detained in August during a police crackdown on the campus.
- Two young men were sent to prison by Bellville magistrates on 27 September after pleading guilty to arson charges. Peter MAY (21) was goaled for five years and an unnamed 17 year old youth for three years. They were arrested after the petrol bombing of the home of a candidate in the Coloured election, Hansie Christians, on polling day, 22 October. Originally charged with 'terrorism' they pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of arson. A third man, Trevor WENTZEL (24), was arrested on 27 September and accused of involvement in the incident. He was arrested soon after the attack but released and then re-arrested and charged with 'terrorism', alternatively arson. In a protest against the refusal of bail Wentzel staged a three day hunger strike in October while in custody at Polsmoor Prison. He was due to appear at Bellville Magistrates Court on 6 November.
- On 13 September prison sentences of 15 days (or R15) were imposed at Pietersburg Magistrate's Court on three AZAPO members arrested on 1 August. They were charged with unauthorised bill posting during the elections in the township of Westenberg.
- Eight students from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) were found guilty in the Bellville Regional Court on 5 October of attending an illegal gathering on 29 May. They had taken part in a placard demonstration which denounced both the government and the Labour Party's electoral plans. They were each fined R75 (or 25 days).
- On 31 October at Wynberg Magistrate's Court a charge against These SOLOMONS (39) of contravening the Electoral Act on Coloured polling day was withdrawn. Proceedings relating to other charges against her and Lucille MEYER (23), involving five counts of malicious damage to property on 20 August, were adjourned to 5 December. The charges included unauthorised bill posting and slogan painting.
- In the week ending 19 October more than 40 UWC students appeared before magistrates charged with offences arising from demonstrations called to coincide with the inauguration of the State President on 14 September. Four students were convicted of attending an illegal gathering and fined between R150 and R200. Another 27 students had their cases adjourned to 9 November.
- On 6 September 10 UWC students appeared in the Bellville Magistrates Court on a charge of breaching the Internal Security Act. Accused with them was a member of the university's staff. The offences were said to have occurred during an anti-election demonstration outside the campus gates. The hearing was adjourned to 18 October.
- The trial of 46 people arrested and charged in November 1983 with attending an illegal gathering ended on 1 October when the charges were withdrawn. The 46 (previously reported as 44 in FOCUS) picketed a meeting in Durban held by the Prime Minister to discuss the effects of the new constitutional proposals on the Indian community. Among the 46 were the president and several executive members of the Natal Indian Congress.
- Charges were withdrawn in the Durban Magistrate's Court on 11 October against 14 UDF members alleged to have attended an illegal gathering. The 14 were arrested in Durban in June 1984 while allegedly sticking posters on municipal property.
- Following their convictions in the Potchefstroom Regional Court on charges of organising and attending an illegal gathering, 'Skakes' SIKHAKANE, General Secretary of the Food and Beverage Workers Union (FBWU), and 23 members were sentenced on 10 September. The meeting had been called by FBWU to discuss a lockout with its members. Sikhakane was sentenced to two months' imprisonment and fined R300. His co-defendants received one month and a fine of R100. Appeal against conviction has been made.
- At the Wynberg Regional Court on 24 October hearings involving seven people charged with attending an illegal gathering on 28 September in support of dismissed trade unionists were adjourned to 6 March. The seven were arrested while picketing the Claremont branch of Grand Bazaars, which in August sacked 50 members of the Retail and Allied Workers Union (RAWU) from a warehouse after a strike. Their leaflets called for a shoppers' boycott and support for a mass meeting, at which 500 people backed the unionists and called on the management to meet with RAWU about the workers' grievances.
