REPRESSION IN SOUTH AFRICA
SIR,—According to reliable press reports. since the beginning of the year, in a number of mass trials in South Africa under the shameful General Law Amendment Act, the so-called Anti-Sabotage Act passed last year, three Africans have been sentenced to death and seventy-five others to terms of imprisonment ranging from twelve to twenty-five years. In addition some 600 are appearing in South African courts charged with political offences. On April 22 our Fund received an appeal from the Chairman of the Defence and Aid Fund, Johannes- burg, South Africa, in which he says: We are being swamped with appeals for assis- tance from the families of men who have been arrested on allegations of being members of the Pogo-PAC organisation. the recent Pogo scare has been followed by the arrest of hundreds of Africans, who are being charged in courts all over the country with furthering the aims of a banned organisation or under the Sabotage Act. We are trying to do what we can but it is clear that a considerable amount of money will be, needed. Legal defence is the immediate problem.' Please let me know as quickly as you can whether funds can be made available to us for the defence of these people. The matter is urgent and a prompt reply will be appreciated.
We should like to appeal to men and women of goodwill to send immediately a generous donation to our Fund to enable us to provide adequate defence for all the accused, a measure of relief to their dependants and, if at all possible, to lodge an appeal on behalf of the three who were sentenced to death and the others to long terms of imprisonment. Every pound will mean not only bread for a hungry woman or child, but possibly the. saving of a man frcim the gallows or from. years of imprisonment.
All donations should be sent to: Defence and Aid Fund, Christian Action, 2 Amen Court, London, EC4.
E. S. SACHS
Appeals Secretary Defence and Aid Fund
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