Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- March–April 1985 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 newsletter (multi-page, printed text)
Context area
Name of creator
Repository
Archival history
Preserved in the IDAF 'Focus' archival series at human rights documentation centres.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
South African History Archive (SAHA)
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Issue 57 outlines the intensifying political repression in South Africa and Namibia during early 1985. It highlights escalating political trials, over 1,100 detentions in 1984, censorship and state raids on press agencies, the trial of SWAPO fighters under repressive conditions, and the growing use of the Internal Security Act. The issue reports on community resistance, school boycotts, labour union suppression, press censorship, and constitutional manipulation to preserve apartheid structures. It includes detailed trial summaries, prisoner lists, and coverage of Nelson Mandela’s conditional release rejection.
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 within the IDAF Focus series.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open access for educational and historical use.
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 and machine-readable.
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 1–56, SWAPO trials documentation, Nelson Mandela conditional release materials, UDF and COSAS trial records, censorship and detentions reports.
Publication note
Focus', Issue No. 57. International Defence and Aid Fund, March–April 1985.
Notes area
Note
Includes one of the longest detainee lists and a detailed trial log, marking a significant escalation of political repression and legal resistance.
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Name access points
- Nelson Mandela (Subject)
- Sipho Hina (Subject)
- Dorothy Nyembe (Subject)
- Obed Bapela (Subject)
- Guy Berger (Subject)
- Kalvin Prakasim (Subject)
- Thami Mali (Subject)
- Amos Masondo (Subject)
- Rita Ndzanga (Subject)
- Patrick Lekota (Subject)
- Archie Gumede (Subject)
- Cyril Ramaphosa (Subject)
- Jeremy Baskin (Subject)
- Maxine Hart (Subject)
- Bobby Sebotsa (Subject)
- Regan Shope (Subject)
- Rufus Nzo (Subject)
- Douglas Tyutyu (Subject)
- Oscar Mpetha (Subject)
- Veiko Nghitewa (Subject)
- Sam Mundjindji (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
An important issue illustrating the escalation of state repression through judicial processes, torture, and censorship, while documenting widespread grassroots resistance.