During 1985 and the first three months of 1986 the government continued to withhold or in some cases withdraw passports of political activists and trade unionists to prevent them from travelling abroad. In 1984, 82 applications for new or renewal of expired passports were refused and one passport was withdrawn.
Trade unionists were the main target for refusals in 1985. Among those whose applications were turned down were Mfiseko SENEKE – an organiser for NUTW who was due to speak at the UN and to visit Canada.
Phillip DLADLA, a shop steward at BTR Sarmcol, was also due to visit the UN and Britain with regard to a dispute at the plant, but refusal of his application prevented him from going.
The Vice President of FOSATU and the CWIU, Thembinkosi MKALIPI, who was due to visit the Federal Republic of Germany and the organiser of MAWU, Moses MAYEKISO, who was invited to Britain were similarly prevented from travelling.
Khangala MAKHADO, the Northern Transvaal chairperson of MWASA, was twice refused a passport, on the first occasion in May when he was due to attend a seminar in Switzerland and on the second occasion in June when he was invited to attend an ILO seminar in Zimbabwe.
Phefakuwa MASHELE, Vice President of the BGWU, was refused a passport for the same event.
Other unionists whose applications were turned down were Phandelani NEFOLOVHODWE, General Secretary of BAMCWU and Cunningham NQUCKANA, Secretary General of AAWU who were to have travelled to Britain and Australia respectively. Joseph THLOLOE, a leading official of MWASA, was similarly prevented from attending a meeting of the International Federation of Journalists in Brussels.
Several women activists who would have attended the United Nations End of Women's Decade Conference in July were refused passports, namely, Amanda KWADI, organiser and Esther MALEKA, General Secretary of the FEDDRAW, respectively. In February 1986 two FEDDRAW members, Vesta SMITH and Susan SHABANGU, were refused passports to travel to a conference in Canada.
Other political activists who were refused passports in 1985 included Sheila SISULU of SACHED, Azhar CACHALIA, National Treasurer of the UDF and executive member of the TIC. Paul David, an NIC executive member, was refused a passport in February 1986 to visit his sister, Phyllis Naidoo, a South African exile resident in Zimbabwe.
In October the government revoked the passports of a group of student leaders from the University of Stellenbosch who planned to travel to Lusaka for discussions with the ANC Youth League. A German pastor, Gottfried KRAATZ, who was seconded to minister to the Mitchell's Plain (Cape Town) congregation of the German-based Evangelical Lutheran church was deported from South Africa on 7 March. The Ministry of Home Affairs refused to renew his work permit because he had involved himself in 'dubious resistance actions against the authorities'. Kraatz was detained for seven weeks under the emergency regulations in October 1985. Another clergyman, Father Dick O'Riordan, was deported from South Africa on 21 February following his detention and eviction from the Transkei bantustan. He was unable to pursue his work outside the Transkei bantustan because, ten years previously he had been prohibited from staying elsewhere in South Africa.
