Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- March 1978 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 newsletter (multi-page, printed text)
Context area
Name of creator
Repository
Archival history
Preserved as part of the IDAF Focus newsletter archival holdings documenting the anti-apartheid struggle.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
South African History Archive (SAHA)
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This issue details the South African government's deepening apartheid policies after the 1977 elections, repression through political trials, detentions, and bannings. Major trials include the Pretoria Twelve, Springs Six, and PAC-related cases. It reports on torture in Namibia, police killings, arson trials, and student resistance. The issue includes coverage of Steve Biko’s aftermath, the death of Robert Sobukwe, Soweto’s community council elections, detentions of minors, and rising legal and political suppression.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Retained permanently for historical research on Southern African political repression and human rights violations.
Accruals
No further accruals expected.
System of arrangement
Filed in chronological order as part of IDAF’s 'Focus' bulletin series.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open for public access and educational research.
Conditions governing reproduction
Reproduction allowed with proper citation of IDAF as source.
Language of material
English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
OCR-scanned copy of printed newsletter; readable condition.
Finding aids
Uploaded finding aid
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Originals held by the South African History Archives.
Existence and location of copies
Digital copy available through the PWP projects and other Archives.
Related units of description
See Focus Issues 1–14; legal files on the Pretoria Twelve, Mothopeng trial, Steve Biko inquest.
Publication note
Focus', Issue No. 15. International Defence and Aid Fund, March 1978.
Notes area
Note
This issue includes unprecedented detail on mass detentions of minors, the death of Sobukwe, police shootings, and apartheid legal amendments.
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Solomon Mahlangu (Subject)
- Zephania Mothopeng (Subject)
- Robert Sobukwe (Subject)
- Steve Biko (Subject)
- Winnie Mandela (Subject)
- Isaac Mhlekwa (Subject)
- Eric Grootboom (Subject)
- Thomas Masuku (Subject)
- Canzi Lisa (Subject)
- Jabu Mkwanazi (Subject)
- Enoch Duma (Subject)
- Aitken Ramudzuli (Subject)
- George Naicker (Subject)
- Kisten Moonsamy (Subject)
- Helen Joseph (Subject)
- Percy Qoboza (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description, Second Edition
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Derived from OCR content of Issue 15. Features major state violence escalation, post-Biko policy shifts, and legislative entrenchment of apartheid.