Completed trials Kantolo and others A trial in the Umtata Regional Court which began in November 1986 ended in April 1989 with the acquittal of all but one of the accused. There were originally nine defendants, eight men and one woman, but charges against two were withdrawn at an early stage. Two more were acquitted for lack of evidence in the course of proceedings while another four were acquitted at the end of the trial.
Leo Rubusana KANTOLO (53), Salakatya Villiers SIMUKU (52), Sigqibo MPENDULO (47), Synod MADLEBE (66), Mzimkulu Vivian SWAARTBOOI (49), Nomthandazo LUSIZI (35) and Victor Ntsokolo ZAMELA (34) faced charges in connection with the banned Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), including membership of the organisation, harbouring guerrillas and possessing banned literature. One of the original accused, William MAPIPA, whom the state subsequently attempted to use as a state witness, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment in November 1987 when he refused to testify. At the first reported court appearance a ninth accused was named as Ian MGIJIMA.
The trial was characterised by the defiance of a number of state witnesses. Mongameli NGXOKWANA was sentenced to one year's imprisonment in July 1987 for refusing to testify, as was John GWABENI in November of that year. Two others, Mziwamadoda NTULI and Vuyisile (Vuyani) MNYANI, were declared hostile witnesses and arrested after giving evidence. Mnyani was later acquitted of perjury on a technicality. Another state witness, Victor SOGA, told of how he was assaulted by police during detention.
In the event only Zamela, a high school principal, was convicted. He was found guilty of possessing a number of banned publications, including the PAC constitution, manifesto and disciplinary code, as well as a speech by Oliver Tambo on 8 January 1986. He was sentenced to an effective one month in prison. All the accused had been in custody since their arrest in July 1986 except for Madlebe who suffered a stroke in October 1987 and was subsequently allowed bail. Earlier this year Lusizi participated in a hunger strike in protest at her conditions.
Mamba A trained ANC combatant, Allen Ndodomzi MAMBA (36), was sentenced to an effective 18 years in prison on 11 May after pleading guilty to charges of murder and 'terrorism'. Acting Justice A J van Schalkwyk, sitting in the Cape Town Supreme Court, accepted that there were extenuating circumstances in the case of murder. A statement made by Mamba was accepted by the court and no other evidence was led.
The charges arose from two bomb attacks carried out on 16 June 1988 to commemorate the Soweto Uprising. According to Mamba's statement, each was timed to explode at a time when civilians would not be around. However, in both cases the timing mechanism malfunctioned.
A combination limpet mine and hand grenade timed to go off outside a bank at 4 am only exploded much later when a workman, Elliot Mphathi Ketelo, removed it from a litter bin. He was killed.
Mamba was said to have joined Umkonto we Sizwe in 1984 and to have stored arms and ammunition near his home in Nyanga Bush. He acted with another combatant, Kenneth MOYAKE, who was reported to have died since.
