This issue of FOCUS covers labour disputes and union activities in Namibia during the first half of 1989, including strikes and negotiations involving NUNW affiliates such as NAPWU, NAFAU, MANWU, and MUN. It also reports on political prisoners, including ongoing detentions and legal proceedings. The publication provides context on the relationship between unions and SWAPO during the transition to independence, and includes a list of sources and abbreviations.
Sem títuloThis issue of FOCUS reports on political trials, police repression, right-wing violence, and restrictions on freedom of assembly in South Africa during September-October 1990. It documents ongoing political trials, hunger strikes, police and army actions against protests, right-wing vigilante violence, and the legal and social context of state repression. Includes case studies, trial outcomes, and incidents of violence, as well as updates on legislation and the activities of unions and youth organizations.
Sem títuloThis issue documents the worsening prison conditions for Nelson Mandela and fellow political prisoners at Pollsmoor Prison, state-sanctioned forced removals and the killing of community leader Saul Mkhize, child malnutrition and mortality in resettlement camps, mass detentions and psychiatric abuse of detainees, repression in the Ciskei bantustan, and the execution of ANC guerrillas. It provides updates on extensive political trials including Oscar Mpetha, Cedric Mayson, Siphiwe Makhathini, and Angula Mwaala (SWAPO). The issue contains a special review of state witnesses, torture allegations, and continuing evidence of apartheid legal manipulation and brutality.
This issue highlights post-execution protests, a new death sentence, eleven treason charges in the Eastern Cape, renewed banning orders, and worsening prison conditions for political detainees. It covers township protests in Soweto and East London, police repression of rent and transport protests, numerous detentions including youth activists and clergy, and the extensive use of Section 50 of the Internal Security Act. Reports include detailed updates on treason trials, executions, state witness manipulations, prison deaths, media censorship in Namibia, the banning of Archbishop Denis Hurley's statements, and mass grave discoveries. Notably, the issue records a police massacre during a transport boycott in Mdantsane.
Issue 55 chronicles the intensified resistance to apartheid in South Africa, focusing on rent boycotts, township uprisings, school and university protests, mass detentions, and political trials. It documents electoral boycotts of the segregated parliament, bans on political gatherings, deaths in detention, and brutal state repression. Coverage includes SWAPO's military and political strength in Namibia, press censorship, and war zone atrocities in the Kavango region. Also featured are trials of student activists, trade unionists, and members of banned organisations such as the ANC and AZAPO.
Issue 56 documents an intensified wave of popular resistance and state repression in South Africa during the latter half of 1984, compared to the 1976 uprisings. It covers mass protests, rent boycotts, township uprisings, education strikes, and repression involving mass detentions, torture, and the militarization of civil areas. It includes resistance timelines, details of youth and trade unionist arrests, SWAPO resistance in Namibia, press censorship, and trials of political dissidents. Special attention is given to armed forces operations in Sebokeng, the rise of student activism through COSAS and AZASM, and censorship actions in Namibia.
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.
This article documents the secrecy surrounding executions in South Africa during late 1988, highlighting the lack of official information prior to executions and the reliance on newspaper reports by monitoring groups. It details the execution of eight men (with one granted a stay), discrepancies in official statistics on political death sentences, and the case of George Skosana. The article also covers several trials resulting in death sentences and lengthy prison terms for individuals involved in political unrest, including the Tumahole and PUTCO cases. The text references specific individuals, events, and sources, illustrating the broader context of political repression and the use of the death penalty.
Sem títuloIssue No. 1 of 'Focus' bulletin, dated November 1975, detailing the intensification of political repression in Southern Africa, including mass detentions, torture, political trials under the Terrorism Act, and increasing use of banning orders. Specific cases, trials, and legislative actions in South Africa, Rhodesia, and Namibia are described.
This issue focuses on increasing military control in Namibia, particularly through South Africa’s use of intelligence and military figures to override civil authority. It documents multiple cases of deaths in detention (notably in Kavango), systemic torture by security police, conditions in Namibian hospitals, repression of trade unionists, political trials (including Barbara Hogan, Cedric Mayson, and Allan Fine), abuses of the Internal Security Act, political detentions, and apartheid’s legal manipulation. Includes statistical updates, case reports, and trial summaries relating to anti-apartheid activists, students, and workers across Southern Africa.