/ 10 February 1989

Vlok’s prison strike crisis

The detainees' hunger strike now involving almost 300 inmates, seven of whom are in hospital is developing into a crisis for the government.

Minister of Law and Order Adriaan Vlok faces the rapid deterioration of the health of the seven in hospital. According to the lawyers, these detainees some of whom have not eaten for 18 days are having difficulty focusing their eyes and are complaining of headaches, stomach cramps and pains in their joints. One of them, Joseph Makhalemele, who has lost 14kg, collapsed on Wednesday night. Makhalemele, a member of the Alexandra Youth Congress, is one of the longest serving detainees, having been in custody for 28 months. Some have been in jail ' since June 1986.

At least some of the seven in hospital have been put on glucose drips. Doctors said yesterday that the hunger strikers are approaching the period when they could suffer irreparable damage. Yesterday, 42 lawyers representing the hunger strikers announced they were starting a fast in solidarity with their clients. They will not eat or take supplements for 48 hours, they said yester­ day. "We are confident that our pro­fessional responsibilities require these actions of us and know that we have the support and commendations of many of our colleagues in all branches of the legal profession," the lawyers said. Yesterday, one of nine fanner detainees who were released after joining the strike, Patrick Mphego, told a press conference: "The hunger strike will continue as long as our people are still in detention." The focus of the strike is Johannesburg Prison  (Diepkloof), where all Emergency detainees, believed   to number 177, have joined the strike. Details of exactly who is on strike and which prisons are affected are not clear because some of the prisoners do not have legal representation.

Eva Ralegoma, mother of detainee Michael "Strike" Ralegoma, described her shock this week after visiting him in hospital. "I have never seen my son like that before," she said, her eyes welling with tears. The lawyers announced their decision to hold their own solidarity fast came after Vlok Ignored a request to meet them in Johannesburg yesterday.  The lawyers, from nine law firms representing the families of detainees, had sent a letter to Vlok requesting a meeting with him at the Diepkloof Prison yesterday morning. But the minister did not turn up. Fourteen lawyers waited patiently at the main entrance of the prison together with a group of reporters until it became clear that the minister was not coming. Lawyers told a group of journalists who had gathered at the main entrance of the prison that no message was received from the minister: "no telex, no fax message, nothing," said one of the lawyers. Vlok's ministry issued a statement, saying each case was being treated with "care and humanity" though "the government cannot allow itself to be threatened by the hunger strike" and added the strikers will remain in detention as long as "it is necessary for the safety of the public".

The Human Rights Commission said: "Mr Vlok has acknowledged that he is personally responsible for every detainee … Should even one of the detainees die, Mr Vlok will be held responsible both for that life and for any internal or international con­ sequences that may follow Mr Vlok's instransingence and his government's continual denial of the rule of law does immense damage to our country in the eyes of the rest of the world and in the eyes of the majority of South Africans." Earlier this week, about 150 people, mostly parents of the detainees, packed a conference room in Johannesburg to hear a medical description of the plight of the hunger strikers. Most of them were close to tears as Dr Helen Schneider from the National Medical and Dental Association (Namda) spoke about the effects of a hunger strike. Lack of glucose in the blood of the detainees results in weakness, and this leaves the body with no choice but to break down the fat as the only alternative source of energy. She said the hunger strike could lead to mental disturbances, loss of body tissues such as muscles and could also interfere with the heart and kidney functions.

According to Schneider, a hunger strike could also cause an individual to suffer from anaemia. "We are entering a very dangerous situation now," she said, noting that the strike was on its 16th day. The parents resolved to send a letter of concern to the Commonwealth foreign ministers conference in Harare this week. In an open letter to Vlok, the last group of the detainees who joined the strike on Monday reiterated the detainees demand that they be charged or released. The detainees said they hoped that the minister would respond to their call. "Instead of releasing the detai­nees, you detained a further 20 chil­dren after our colleagues had started on their hunger strike. "We were shocked and angered by this, especially the detention of 15 and 16-year-olds, notably, Thami Ngeno; Siphiwe Sibisi; Bongani Mojakane, all from Soweto. "We 118, who constitute the rest of the detainees in Johannesburg Prison, have decided to go on hunger strike in demand of our immediate and unconditional release," the letter read.

The letter rejected what they termed, "the ministry of prisons audacity to say we buy foodstuffs at the prison shop". Namda urged medical professionals treating the detainees on hunger strike to respect the right of their patients to determine their own destiny. "It is the ethical duty of health professional to do all they possibly can to safeguard the health of these detainees within the limits set by these detainees." The association also called on health professionals to put pressure on prison authorities to release the detainees on health grounds. A statement issued by National Association of Democratic Lawyers said: "It is absolutely cynical that political detainees are treated worse than criminals.

Unlike sentenced prisoners, they never know when they will be released. They are denied normal access to families, friends and legal representatives. "They are kept under conditions which are punitive and yet had not had the benefit of a trial." Asked for comment, the press liaison department of Prison Services in Pretoria said: "With regard to the publication of the report you are referred to Regulation (N99, 1988) published in the Government Gazette (No 11342 of June 10 1988). Your attention is particularly drawn to Regulation 3(1) of the above regulations." – Mzimkulu Malunga

This article originally appeared in the Weekly Mail.