Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- July–August 1982 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 newsletter (multi-page, printed text)
Context area
Name of creator
Repository
Archival history
Part of the official IDAF collection of newsletters documenting apartheid-era oppression and anti-colonial resistance.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
South African History Archive (SAHA)
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This issue reports on the trial of three SWAPO guerrillas in Namibia, with a legal challenge for prisoner-of-war status under the Geneva Conventions. Topics covered include the continued banning of Nathaniel Maxuilili, torture and detentions in northern Namibia, attacks on Angola, education boycotts, and widespread political trials in South Africa. The issue exposes security force abuses, displays of guerrilla corpses, school protest crackdowns, press censorship, and trade union repression. It also covers the new IDAF constitution and the continued use of solitary confinement and psychological torture against detainees such as Neil Aggett. Legal cases include Barbara Hogan, Oscar Mpetha, and SWAPO youth leaders, among many others.
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
Chronologically sequenced within the 'Focus' series.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Unrestricted access 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-scanned newsletter; legible and complete.
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 1–40, SWAPO POW files, IDAF Constitution records, SAIC protests, Geneva Convention appeals.
Publication note
Focus', Issue No. 41. International Defence and Aid Fund, July–August 1982.
Notes area
Note
Covers legal appeals for POW status, new education protests, intensified torture allegations, and systemic censorship during a critical mid-1982 period.
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
- SWAPO trials
- Geneva Conventions
- POW status
- Angola raids
- Kassinga anniversary
- Detention without trial
- Press censorship
- Education protests
- AZASO
- COSAS
- ANC trials
- Trade union persecution
- Koevoet
- Torture in custody
- Political funerals
- Fort Hare
- IDAF Trust Deed
- Psychological torture
- Prisoner deaths
- Censorship laws
- State of Emergency
Place access points
Name access points
- Theofilus Jason (Subject)
- Josef Sagarius (Subject)
- Lucius Malambo (Subject)
- Nathaniel Maxuilili (Subject)
- Jacob Nghiduna (Subject)
- Jason Haufiku (Subject)
- Sarah Shiveka (Subject)
- John Dugard (Subject)
- Barbara Hogan (Subject)
- Oscar Mpetha (Subject)
- Alan Fine (Subject)
- Cedric Mayson (Subject)
- Neil Aggett (Subject)
- Desmond Tutu (Subject)
- Thandi Modise (Subject)
- Sisa Njikelana (Subject)
- Auret van Heerden (Subject)
- Robert Adam (Subject)
- Mandla Themba (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
Highlights the intersection of legal strategy, media control, educational protest, and paramilitary violence in apartheid South Africa and occupied Namibia.