Issue 53 details unequal prison conditions between male and female political prisoners, focusing on the treatment of Barbara Hogan and Dorothy Nyembe. It reports detentions, including youth activists, trade unionists, and ANC affiliates; describes major political trials involving ANC members and community leaders; and explores repression in Transkei, Venda, and the Ciskei. Also covered are education protests, the election boycott campaign, censorship battles over the Freedom Charter, and the release of Namibian political prisoners from Robben Island. The issue also includes coverage of SWAPO harassment, student resistance, and university unrest.

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 supplement to FOCUS No. 87 provides an analysis of the steps taken and obstacles remaining in the process of negotiating an end to apartheid in South Africa as of early 1990. It details the partial reforms initiated by the apartheid regime, including the unbanning of political organisations, the release of some political prisoners, and the lifting of certain emergency regulations. The supplement critically examines the limitations of these reforms, the continued existence of repressive legislation, the ongoing state of emergency, and the regime's retention of significant powers of repression. It also covers the responses of the African National Congress (ANC) and the international community, and outlines the requirements of the Harare Declaration for genuine negotiations.