HART
A social worker at the University of the Witwatersrand, Maxine Sandra HART (25), was sentenced to three year's imprisonment, suspended for five years, under the Internal Security Act in the Johannesburg Regional Court on 22 January.
The charges on which she was found guilty were: obtaining, bringing into South Africa, then reading and destroying a pamphlet written by the ANC; sending details of the Johannesburg Democratic Action Committee to the ANC in Botswana; and distributing ANC pamphlets advocating a boycott of the Coloured and Indian elections in August 1984.
Hart was detained on 11 September and held in solitary confinement for two months.
HINA AND OTHERS
Two of the 11 men convicted in November 1984 in the Grahamstown treason and 'terrorism' trial were each sentenced in the Supreme Court to an effective 25 years' imprisonment on 6 December 1984. Other sentences ranged from two to 14 years.
Rufus Nato NZO (25) was sentenced to 20 years for treason and an effective five years as an accomplice in the murder of the wife of Vukile TSHIWULA, another of the sentenced.
Douglas TYUTYU (49) was sentenced to 20 years for high treason and 15 years as an accomplice in the murder. Ten years of the 15 year sentence is to run concurrently.
Nceba Christopher FAKU (28) was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, Sipho HINA (45) to 14 years, James NGQONDELA (55) to 13 years, Wellington GUMENGE (30) to 10 years, Sipho NODLAWU (36) and Lindile MBELEKANA (28) to nine years, Vukile TSHIWULA (44) to seven years and Mzimkulu KHAME (23) to six years. His father, William KHAME (58) was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. Three years of his sentence were conditionally suspended for five years.
Seven of the accused - Nzo, Tyutyu, Hina, Ngqondela, Nodlawu, Mbelekana and Gumenge - were convicted of high treason, while the others were convicted of 'terrorism'. Some of the accused were also convicted on a number of other charges including unlawful possession of arms, ammunition, explosives, unlawful publications and attempted murder.
MAKOMORENG
A man from Soweto was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for playing a tape of freedom songs.
Eric Tsietsi MAKOMORENG (23) appeared in the Johannesburg Regional Court on 10 January and was sentenced to five years imprisonment under the Internal Security Act for furthering the aims of the ANC, two years of which were suspended for five years.
He was sentenced to a further one year for possessing the tape. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and said he was not aware the tape was unlawful.
MPETHA APPEAL
The appeal of Oscar MPETHA (75) against his conviction for 'terrorism' is to be heard in the Appellate Division on 25 March.
Mmetha, who is on bail of R1, was given the compulsory minimum sentence of five years' imprisonment in terms of the old Terrorism Act, after being convicted with 17 others on 6 June 1983. The trial arose out of incidents of violence in and near the Crossroads squatter camp in August 1980.
Besides being one of the three presidents of the UDF, Mpetha is an organiser for the Food and Canning Workers Union and chairperson of the Nyanga Residents' Association. He was elected to the UDF presidency after his conviction.
SHOPE
The trial of Regan Ntombi SHOPE (34) ended in the Tzaneen Regional Court on 28 January when she was found guilty of all the charges against her in terms of the Internal Security Act, and sentenced to three year's imprisonment.
Shope was accused of promoting the aims of and enlisting new members for the ANC, and unlawfully distributing banned literature. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
