Terrorism Act, 1967
Background
[edit]| Terrorism Act, 1967 | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Parliament of South Africa | |
| |
| Citation | Act No. 83 of 1967 |
| Enacted by | Parliament of South Africa |
| Assented to | 12 June 1967 |
| Commenced | 21 June 1967 (deemed retroactive to 27 June 1962) |
| Repealed | 2 July 1982 |
| Administered by | Minister of Justice |
| Repealed by | |
| Internal Security Act, 1982 | |
| Status: Repealed | |
The Terrorism Act No 83 of 1967 was a law of the South African Apartheid regime that was enacted to prohibit all forms of terrorism, categorizing participation in any form of terrorist activity as a capital crime.[1] It was active until all except section 7 was repealed under the Internal Security and Intimidation Amendment Act 138 of 1991.
The act was originally put in place due to a form of modern terrorism being developed during the apartheid period. Terrorism was occurring due to activities of the state and because of liberation movements that were happening at the time.[2] The acts stated purpose was to assist the government in combating terrorism; however, it was instead used by law enforcement to target and prosecute various organizations and individuals who had opposed state control. At the time, the Apartheid government had numerous racist and oppressive laws in place, and they used anti-terrorism laws to target those who opposed the regime.[3] They were able to violate human rights of individuals suspected of being freedom fighters, as well as their family members through unjust arrests.[4] The enforcement of the act allocated security forces a large amount of control, and many individuals detained by police during this period had reported excessive use of force.[5]
Sections of the Act
[edit]Section 2: The purpose of section 2 is to define exactly what terrorism is. Terrorism was defined as any activity aimed at disrupting law and order, or any action that encouraged others to engage in such acts.[5]
Section 3: Section 3 of the act extended prosecution not only to those who committed the offense but also to anyone found to be assisting, even if they were not directly involved. Conviction under this section could result in a prison sentence of up to five years or, in some cases, the death penalty.[5]
Section 4 and 5: This section outlines who has authority over crimes that directly violate the terrorism act.[5]
Section 6: Section 6 of the Act allowed someone suspected of involvement in terrorism—which was very broadly defined as anything that might "endanger the maintenance of law and order"—to be detained for a 60-day period (which could be renewed) without trial on the authority of a senior police officer. Since there was no requirement to release information on who was being held, people subject to the Act tended to disappear.
The death of Steve Biko in police custody in 1977, while being detained under the Act, was a particular cause célèbre. It is estimated that approximately 80 people died while being detained under the Act.[6] The poem 'In Detention' was written by Chris van Wyk as a protest to the seemingly unexplainable deaths at the John Vorster Square, supposedly at the hands of police brutality.
Section 7: This section ensured that when someone was arrested and brought to trial, the judiciary retained some degree of oversight, preventing security forces from having complete control.[5]
Section 8: Section 8 required the consent of the attorney general for any trial related to the terrorism act to proceed. [5]
Other provisions
[edit]Other provisions of the Act included the founding of the Bureau of State Security.
References
[edit]- ^ "1967. Terrorism Act - The O'Malley Archives". omalley.nelsonmandela.org. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ MacFarlane, Campbell (June 2003). "Terrorism in South Africa". Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. 18 (2): 133–139. doi:10.1017/S1049023X00000893. ISSN 1945-1938.
- ^ Mujuzi, Jamil Ddamulira (2015), Roach, Kent (ed.), "South Africa", Comparative Counter-Terrorism Law, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 543–566, doi:10.1017/cbo9781107298002.019, ISBN 978-1-107-05707-4, retrieved 18 October 2024
- ^ "Lumina, C - African Human Rights Law Journal (AHRLJ)". www.ahrlj.up.ac.za. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "1967 Terrorism Act, No. 83 of 1967 | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "DispatchLIVE".
External links
[edit]
The full text of Terrorism Act, 1967 at Wikisource- Legislating Against Terrorism in South Africa
- Judge Navantheen Pillay interview transcript
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