Simon George MOGALE (34) was sentenced by the Johannesburg Regional Court to an effective term of four years' imprisonment on 2 August for hiding limpet mines at his home in Kagiso, Krugersdorp. He pleaded guilty to contravening the Internal Security Act by hiding the armaments and ammunition for a friend of his late brother. At an earlier hearing on 26 July he pleaded not guilty and appeared with his wife Helen who was not asked to plead. No mention of her appeared in the reports of the trial.
The Rustenburg Regional Court convicted three alleged members of the PAC on 19 June when Norman MOLOI (24) from Soweto and Cyprian NAKI (22) and Simon NECIME, both from Khayelitsha, all pleaded guilty to charges of 'terrorism'. Moloi was sentenced to an effective nine years' imprisonment and the other two to eight years each.
They were arrested at a roadblock at Boekenhoutfontein, near Rustenburg, allegedly in possession of hand grenades, machine guns and ammunition. Evidence against them was given by two unnamed former PAC members. 'Mr X' said he trained with the Cape Town men in Libya and Yugoslavia, while 'Mr Y' said he and Moloi underwent training in Tanzania and Libya.
In another trial which received little press coverage, five Humansdorp activists were sentenced by the Regional Court in July for their role in advancing the ANC's armed struggle. Two alleged combatants, Mzologi WABANI (29) and Pumlani NGQUNGWANA (28), were convicted of undergoing military training outside the country and sentenced to seven years each. Sungqile HOBONGWANA (32), Mabelandile STAMPO (31) and Tabanga PUBA (32) were all convicted of harbouring and assisting guerrillas — the first two received effective two year prison terms while Puba had all but six months of a three-year sentence suspended. All the accused changed their pleas to guilty during the trial.
A young woman who was tortured in detention and suffered a nervous breakdown through being kept in prolonged solitary confinement was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment at the end of July after being convicted of being an ANC member and undergoing military training. Pumla WILLIAMS (29) from Soweto was sentenced in the Evander Regional Court in the Eastern Transvaal after earlier hearings in Witbank and Bethal.
Williams allegedly joined the ANC after the Soweto Uprising and left South Africa in 1978 to undergo military training. The state sought to link her with Ebrahim Ismael Ebrahim and what was described as the ANC's Regional Political Military Command. Press reports speculated that Williams was originally detained as a state witness against Ebrahim. Sheila NYANDA, who like Ebrahim was kidnapped from Swaziland, was subpoenaed to testify against Williams but was subsequently charged herself. Six members of William's family including her mother, sister and two aunts were also subpoenaed and one relative, Busi TEDILE, was detained under the Internal Security Act. An aunt, Violet MBAMBISA, was charged with perjury following her evidence which reportedly differed from a previous statement she had made.
Williams' own statement was ruled inadmissible after evidence of torture. According to the state's case, she worked for the ANC in Maputo between 1980-3 and then in Swaziland. She allegedly returned to Soweto during 1986 participating in reconnaissance and recruitment work, including that of two policemen. The main state witness 'Mr X' who submitted documents allegedly written by Williams was also believed to have testified against Ebrahim. Williams denied ever having met Mr X, said to be a former ANC member.
