STOOL PIGEONS TESTIFY IN DR. NEVILLE ALEXANDER. CASE
The trial. of Dr. Neville Alexander and ten others under the Sabotage Act continues in Capetown,
The campaign in West Germany for eid to the defendants resulted in nearly £1,800 being sent to Capetown for their defence. Over fifteen of the main newspapers published reports of the case while important professors and academic figures made substantial contributions. ;
In West Berlin, all the political student unions organised a large protest meeting at which around 30,000 pamphlets on-the Neville Alexander case were distributed, The VDS [German Students Union] sent a protest reso~ lution to U, Thant, head of the United Nations, The letter was: signed by. over 1,500 leading West German personalities,
ste
Meanwhile, in South Africa, the trial has been proceeding, first with > the reading of works by Marx and Engels, Lenin, Mao and -Che Guevara found in the house of Dr. Alexander. When. this rather farcical procedure was completed the state produced its witnesses,
First came a Coloured police constable, Jacobus Kotzee. According to the Cape Argus report, Kotzee told how he nad recently re joined the. South African Police Force after resigning two years ago, and how he had been told to go to Kimberley to investigate the activities of one of the defendants, Don Davis. According to Kotzee, Davis was suspicious and asked if he were not a policeman. Kotzee then showed him his. discharge notice and claimed to win Davis! confidence. He alleged that Davis then told him of the plans of the Yu Chui Chan Club (also called the National Liberation Front), The Defence attacked the witness as being a police. agent, putting forward an invented story.
Next witness was even more dubious. Cecil Dempster, a mason, who admitted to being a "police contact," alleged that he had: attended meetings where Dr. Abrahams had spoken on the YCcC, and of plans to sabotage. He alleged a number of the defendants’ were present,
Under cross examination, Dempster made a significant slip. He had strongly asserted the day before that he had never been in the same cell as defendant Hendricks at Caledon Square police -station on August 5.. Under strong cross- examination however he muttered : "Your honour, the police said it was a secret, .
It subsequently emerged that the police had told him not to admit this, even under oath, This was no doubt because it showed that he was subject to certain pressures, and had acted as a provocateur to Hendricks, saying» that he could help: him escape to Bechuanaland. In any case, it was clear that he was an unreliable witness.
During these proceedings, Dempster alleged that as he was leaving the court in one adjournment, he had heard Marcus Solomon say: "Ja, Vark" (you pig), and someone else, you boere spy," and wvour life is in your hands,"
aa.
William Hoffeldt, a machinist of Queenstown, alleged he belonged to a branch of the YCCC, and said that Dr, Abrahams and others had visited Queenstown and their branch. oo
Dennis Franke at first refused to testify, but on promise of release turned state evidence. He alleged that he had attended meetings in Dr. Alexander's home once a week, and told of plans developed there. Particularly he alleged to deal with Coloured collaborators. He was released, the | Cape Times reports [November 28] after he gave evidence. 7
_ Miss D, Adams, although warned that she would be regarded as an accom plice unless she gave state evidence, refused, Three other young Coloured persons also refused in the same way.
Mr. Enver’ Marney, who claimed to be a student of non-European Marxist politics for fifteen years, said he had discussions with Dr. Alexander, who was "fascinated by African Nationalism," but who had certainly never men= tioned the YCCC or National Liberation Front to him, ,
ee AL
a
se
Pe
Ne,
Ww
We Have only been able to cover the trial, which has been ignored in the European press, up to December 4, the latest South African papers available,
Together with the more prominent Rivonia trial being held concurrently in Pretoria, it holds a deal of interest in the South African press, :
. We shall publish further reports as they come to hand,