SENDS THANKS
[The extracts below are from letters received by the British and German Alexander defense committees from Mrs. Dombeta Alexander, the mother of two of the defendants, Dorothy Alexander, a high-school teacher, and Dr. Neville Alexander, an outstanding South African intellectual. Dr. Alexander is now serving a ten-year sentence at Robben Island prison for political opposition to the apartheid system. Dorothy Alexander is serving a five-year sentence in a different prison. The "girls," mentioned by Mrs. Alexander, are the four women among the eleven defendants in the case. All of them are serving long sentences for the "crime" of entertaining subversive thoughts about apartheid. me
[The South African courts recently turned down an appeal against the miscarriage of justice in the case; and the defense committees in various countries are now exploring further legal avenues to gain release of the prisoners as well as collecting funds to aid the families. The address of the British Alexander Defence ‘Committee is: Mrs. C. Kirkby, 27 Thursley House, Holmewood Gardens, London, S.W.2.]
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I must thank you on behalf of my son, daughter and their friends as well as all the families for the hard work you and your committee have put into this wonderful work you have done for us,
I feel so small when I think of the many big hearted people there are in other parts of the world who can do so much for us the oppressed people of this country. I often look around and think how many we are without a voice as it were. This then is the result.
You can imagine what these few days mean to us the mothers who should have hope and yet we feel should we dare to hope.
Anyway I have to say a big thank. you for the wonderful effort and the result. that has come as can be understood we dare. not move a stone to try to help for fear of prosecution.
The ticket [to a fund-raising affair] you enclosed I shall keep as a remembrance of what has gone by and I. trust that some day he will also be able to see it. His friends that he has made ina strange country has become his brothers and sisters in his home he is like a stranger, "a leper," that goes for all of them.
Further I received the 100 pounds which you have collected locally and sent for the families. The other money we have paid in to the lawyers.
The 100 pounds I have-distributed at 5~pounds per family until I saw Neville...as I knew with the studies due for them they will need money.
_.. Neville asked to me. to place the remaining 45 pounds in the bank. until the men call for it to pay their studies. .
First of all, he was so happy to hear the good news about the success of your work internationally and he expressed, in the name of the Eleven, his sincere gratitude for this great. achieve-~ ment. His eyes filled with tears when expres sing this....
_ Although he is still kept in solitary confinement, he ‘Looks. well, is in high spirit and has hope for the future.
The girls are now also allowed to study but the parents have to pay the expenses. So we have to try and raise this money. I was thinking that if counsel is paid and there is money over, that we should use this to pay for the education of the Eleven, as far as it will go. We are already nearly too shy to ask your support in this respect, after all that have been done but our hands are bound. Dorothy told me that she intends doing the Matriculation examination and that the fees will be 26 pounds, including books.... ,
The families of the Eleven have asked me to thank you all for your work, assistance and solidarity.
Kn we
I shall write as regularly as I can but suppose news about our dear ones will be far between since we are allowed visits only once every six months and a letter also once every six months.
We visited the girls during December, they were all very well and in good spirits. They were doing no work, allowed nothing to read but are two in one cell. They have since been allowed study privileges for which the parents must pay out of their own pockets. They need money for text books also, as well as for writing materi~ als.
The appeal was heard in Bloemfontein between the judges, State and Counsel for the accused. As you know by now it failed, We did not really expect otherwise; we could therefore not be unduly upset. At least a year of their sentence has gone by so we can only hope that they keep healthy and we all be spared to meet again.
Ironic enough Dorothy who has always been very thin put on some weight but her eyes have gone bad and I have to see that she gets money for spectacles as well. They are allowed [ten shillings] per month to buy toilet goods for themselves on the premises.
It is indeed comforting to know we are not alone in this cause and that others bear with US.
ANGOLAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS REPORT SUCCESSES
The general staff of the National Liberation Army of Angola [ALNA] has issued a