GIVEN 206 YEARS
The “Mgabotage" trial at Pietermaritzburg, the capital of Natal, came to an end February 28, when Judge~President Milne imposed sen~ tences totaling 206 years on 18 Indian and African defendants. The sentences were as follows:
Billy Nair and Curnick “Wahlovo, each twenty 7 years. “ey admit
ted during the trial to being members of the Natal Regional Command of Mkonto Wa Sizwe [Spear of the Nation]. -
Natvarial Babenia, sixteen years,
Ebrahim Ismael, fifteen years, :
-Kisten Moonsamy and George Naicker, each fourteen years. ~
Kisten Doorsamy, twelve years,
Riot Nkwanaza, Gira. Singh, Alfred Duma, Msizoni. Shadrack Mapuluma and Zakela Mdhlalose, each ten years. -
Mfanyane Bernard Nkozi, Matthews Meyiwa, Joshua Tembinkosi Zulu, David Ndawonde, and Silva Pillay, eight years each.
David Mkize, five years. | .. In pronouncing these harsh sentences, the Judge=President cynically upheld the rule of South Africats: white minority and the fascistelike laws they have passed bo. maintain themselves in power against the colored ma jority.
"Tt has been represented that you, the accused," he said, Mave committed acts of sabotage in furtherance of your aims to avoid what you consider to be unjust, and you regard as unjust that .the non-White members of our community have no vote in the Parliament which makes ‘our law. . . So, .
"There are, however, others who believe that some non-White people have not. reached in their evolution the ability to maintain on their own a civilized way of life, and who believe that it would produce disaster and the most grievous injustices, not merely to some portion of the community but to the whole community to hand over political control to people whom they consider have not yet acquired the competence to exercise it.
"Tt is not part of my duty to suggest which view is the correct one. What is clear is that a majority of the electorate holding the beliefs which I have just mentioned -- a majority of the electorate in this country ever since it became a political unit -- has always put and kept in power governments committed to keeping political control in the hands of that electorate,"
Judge~President Milne then defended the Sabotage Act passed as part of the effort of the white minority to maintain their authori-~tarian rule by doing away with all democratic rights, He noted that violation of the law could be "punished by death, and that the minimum punishment should be five years! imprisonment,!
- Despite this law, said the Judge-President, the defendants had sot out "to overthrow the foundations of Parliament. " Doing this "may be said to show your bravery but you did not commit these acts openly. You did them in such a way that if you could you would escape having to pay the penalty."
According to the Cape Argus, the victims heard the sentences "impassively." However, an Indian woman in the gallery wept. She was ordered to leave,
Permission-to appeal the convictions was granted to Kisten Moonsamy, Kisten Doorsamy, David Ndawonce , Mfanyane. Bernard Nkozi, Zakela Mdhlalose, Matthews Meyiwa, Joshua Zulu and Silva Pillay.