Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- November–December 1980 (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 collection documenting apartheid-era repression and resistance across Southern Africa.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
South African History Archive (SAHA)
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This issue covers school boycotts and the violent repression of student protest in South Africa, particularly in the Cape and Transvaal provinces. It details political trials, including the ANC guerrilla trials, the imprisonment of journalist Msekeli Mgijima, and union repression cases. Detentions under various security laws are documented, including hunger strikes, torture allegations, and the death of a Transkei official in custody. The newsletter features an interview with SWAPO President Sam Nujoma, highlighting repression in Namibia, including new police units, forced removals, and militarization. Also covered are conditions in Robben Island, internal exile, and the targeting of student activists and civic leaders. A large section lists detainees and political prisoners.
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
Chronological sequence in the IDAF Focus bulletin series.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Freely accessible for research and public consultation.
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 scan from original print edition; legible and structured.
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
Issues 1–30; school boycott records, ANC guerrilla trial documentation, AG26 and Section 10 detention records.
Publication note
Focus', Issue No. 31. International Defence and Aid Fund, November–December 1980.
Notes area
Note
Important record of educational protest, civic repression, union trials, and Namibia militarization. Includes extensive testimonies and detention lists.
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Name access points
- Sam Nujoma (Subject)
- Msekeli Mgijima (Subject)
- Zinjiva Nkondo (Subject)
- James Mange (Subject)
- Priscilla Jana (Subject)
- Florence Mancotywa (Subject)
- Chief Sabata Dalindyebo (Subject)
- Oscar Mpetha (Subject)
- Lucia Hamutenya (Subject)
- David Maduna (Subject)
- Thandi Modise (Subject)
- Matthew Lebelo (Subject)
- Zubeida Jaffer (Subject)
- Guy Berger (Subject)
- Ephraim Mogale (Subject)
- Jason Angula (Subject)
- Heikkie Shililifa (Subject)
- Karlina Jambo (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
This issue is particularly significant for its comprehensive coverage of state repression against youth, trade unionists, political activists, and its direct testimony on Namibia’s military crisis.