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.

This issue of Focus (no. 92) covers political trials, detentions, and the struggle for the reincorporation of the Bophuthatswana bantustan in South Africa during late 1990 and early 1991. It documents ongoing legal repression, mass detentions, bail applications, prison sentences, and mass action against apartheid-era authorities. The issue includes case studies, named individuals, and references to legal and political developments, as well as coverage of campaigns for the release of political prisoners and the activities of anti-apartheid organizations.