Four Soweto school pupils pleaded guilty to charges relating to the possession of arms and ammunition in the Johannesburg Regional Court and were sentenced on 24 August. Elias Siphiwe KHUNOU (19), Kenneth Mandla LEKELAKALA (20) and Moses Veli LLALE (20) were jailed for an effective six years when the court found that they were in possession of an AK-47 rifle, live ammunition and a hand grenade which they intended to use to injure people or damage property. The fourth student, Abednigo RADEBE (22) was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for possession of a hand grenade.
Although the defendants were in possession of the rifle for less than a month, the severe sentences were apparently imposed for their assistance to a combatant who had escaped conviction. According to statements before the court, the rifle was left at Llale's home by a cousin of his and someone referred to as Bongane. When Llale heard that his cousin had been arrested, he and Khunou and Lekelekala hid the weapon.
In passing sentence, the magistrate said that he would not treat the defendants differently from the 'principal offender' because they had helped him to escape conviction.
Simon MSIBI (34) and Zacheus MTHEMBU of Madadeni appeared in the Dundee Regional Court in August on charges of furthering the aims of the ANC. Msibi was further charged with harbouring a member of the ANC who was in fact his brother. He was convicted and sentenced to three years' imprisonment; Mthembu was jailed for two years.
