According to figures quoted in Parliament in February, 50 residents of the rural Western Cape township of Zolani faced charges arising from their resistance to the repressive actions of police, soldiers and vigilantes. In February and March a further 43 residents appeared in court in three trials arising from similar resistance in April and May 1985.
On 23 March heavy jail sentences were imposed on eight people convicted in the Supreme Court of the attempted murder of a woman who was the wife of a vigilante. In December 1985 her evidence had led to the jailing of a Zolani man for eight years on an arson charge. The wife of the jailed man, Phyllis Notutuzelo FANTE, was sent to prison for 15 years, while Andile TYEMELA (25) received a sentence of 12 years; Powo LIBALELE, Melphin MKHOLI and Thozamile MANA ('all approximately 20 years old') and Zolile KLAAS (17) eight years each; and Phillip MATOTI (19) and an unnamed youth (16) six years each.
In passing sentence the judge dismissed mitigating testimony from a former local advice office worker about vigilante terrorism in Zolani as '99 per cent hearsay'.
In another case previously reported in FOCUS the remaining 30 of 121 Zolani residents originally charged with public violence were acquitted because the state had no evidence to offer. They were arrested in May 1985 during clashes with police and vigilantes. Those discharged in February included Nobantu Gertrude MAGOQOZA and members of the local Civic Association.
Substantial evidence of collusion between police and vigilantes in Zolani was produced in the Supreme Court in March by a lawyer acting for four convicted men. A former Zolani community council chairman, Timothy TYHALISI-SU (39), Samuel MANGCOLA (29), Charles MSOKI (45) and Lemi MHLOMI (25) were found guilty last year of stoning the house and car of a vigilante in April and were due to be sentenced in March. A police warrant officer was said to have congratulated vigilantes who had stoned a house and set it alight, while on other occasions policemen stood by and watched assaults or arrested those named by vigilantes. Police declared a curfew imposed by the vigilantes as 'not illegal'. The hearing was postponed to April.
