At the end of a trial reported in the last issue of FOCUS, effective sentences of two years were handed down to Neliswa Nonuna DYANDI (21) and Wonke MAQUBELA (19) by the East London Supreme Court on 9 August after they had been found guilty of public violence. In spite of their evidence of torture and assault the court ruled statements they made to the police were admissible.
Justice E M du Toit said the sentence could have been more lenient had the accused 'brought him into their confidence and shown some regret'. He indicated that he had considered the possibility of a sentence of community service, but felt the offence was too serious. He noted that Dyandi was six months pregnant and said that she would probably be allowed to keep the child with her for 20 months after the birth, with the child being cared for by a relative for the last month of the sentence. Application for leave to appeal was refused.
