This issue provides in-depth reports on executions of Zimbabwean nationalists, the SASO-BPC and Pretoria 12 trials in South Africa, deaths in detention, detentions and bannings, new apartheid legislation, protected villages, police violence, military occupation in Namibia, Rhodesian cross-border raids, and worsening health conditions in rural areas. Key trials include those of Robert Bhebe, Painos Zehama, and SWAPO activists. It also documents torture, forced removals, and mercenary use on white-owned farms.

This issue reports the mass banning of Black Consciousness organisations and individuals on 19 October 1977, including the SASO, BPC, and Soweto Students’ Representative Council. It details arrests, detentions, and police violence during student uprisings and protests, particularly in Soweto, Eastern Cape, and universities. Coverage includes Steve Biko’s death in detention, memorial actions, and international solidarity. Rhodesian repression, Namibian occupation, and emergency powers in Bophuthatswana and Ciskei are also covered. Political trials, such as the Pretoria Twelve and Springs Six, and inquests into deaths in detention are documented.

This issue covers the emergence of 'private armies' in Rhodesia following the internal settlement, including reports of guerilla activity, auxiliary forces, and repression. Topics include the Elim Mission massacre, security force abuses, wage disparities, police shootings of miners, numerous political trials and executions, including the death sentence of Solomon Mahlangu. Also covered are detainee lists, deaths in detention (including Lungile Tabalaza), torture allegations, and forced deportations of Roman Catholic clergy.

This issue details a new phase of military escalation in Namibia, including South African troop build-ups, air raids in Angola, martial law extensions, and mass detentions in Windhoek. It covers the repression in ‘Zimbabwe-Rhodesia,’ highlighting political trials, executions, the Mothopeng PAC trial, and press censorship. Key developments include the sentencing of PAC members, reports of sexual violence by security forces in protected villages, new appointments to suppress dissent, and the systematic use of curfews and detentions without trial.

This issue centers on the campaign to release Nelson Mandela, political trials involving ANC members, widespread detentions, prison conditions, and regional instability due to South African military incursions into Angola and Zambia. Key trials include those of James Mange, Renfrew Christie, and numerous ANC guerrillas. The issue details amnesties in Zimbabwe, restoration of study rights for political prisoners in South Africa, torture accounts of detained youth, and the banning of religious and civil society organizations in the Transkei. Also discussed are border attacks, military build-ups, and systematic pressure on frontline states.

This issue documents intensified repression of black trade unions, including police brutality, deportations, and censorship of union material. It covers mass removals under apartheid laws, including the Hout Bay evictions, relocation of farm squatters, and resettlement for wildlife conservation. A major feature is the in-depth testimony of ANC official Zinjiva Nkondo, abducted and interrogated by South African security forces. Also included are reports on student repression in the bantustans, widespread bans on political gatherings, censorship of Mandela campaign material, trials of ANC guerrillas, Robben Island prison conditions, and Namibia's 'internal settlement' military and administrative developments.

This issue extensively documents torture by South African and Namibian security forces, including affidavits, testimonies, and reports of death in detention. Key features include the disappearance of Johannes Kakuva, violent repression of SWAPO sympathisers, use of poison gas in Angola (Operation Daisy), and the intensification of military presence in Kaokoland. It also covers numerous political trials (Oscar Mpetha, Robert Adam, Masabata Loate, etc.), repression in Ciskei and Venda, and the detention and death of unionist Dr. Neil Aggett. Detailed lists of new detainees and evidence of abuse by security forces appear throughout.

Issue 45 provides detailed accounts of repression through tightened pass laws, the criminalisation of residency, and the use of state security forces to restrict African movement and employment. The issue features an obituary tribute to Canon John Collins and reports on mass detentions, child imprisonment, police violence, and political trials of ANC and SWAPO members. It also includes updates on union suppression, school and student protests, the Maseru Raid, Namibia detentions, and Angola incursions. A full review of the 1982 armed struggle is included, with statistical breakdowns of sabotage operations, and evidence of state disinformation regarding guerrilla activity. Ciskei repression and its 'Sword of the Nation' squad are also featured.

This 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.

This issue details Rhodesian cross-border military raids into Mozambique and Botswana, the escalation of warfare, and border violations. It also provides updates on detainees, political trials in South Africa and Rhodesia, repression in Namibia, and deaths in detention. Extensive coverage is given to attacks on ANC and Black Consciousness activists, the SASO-BPC trial convictions, and the acquittal of white NUSAS-linked activists. Lists of detainees, descriptions of torture, censorship, and abuses of the Terrorism Act are included.