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- 1976 - (Creation)
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Note
Berrange his evidence was rejected by the court as untruthful and dangerous and expunged from the records.
Several police witnesses, especially Head Constable Truter, Sgts. Muller, Ngcai and Swanepoel (not the same as Colonel Swanepoel who in the 60s gained notoriety for his brutality as Security Branch police officer), gave a sober and balanced account of the policy of the ANC and its allies. They also agreed that our struggle was non violent and that the violent speeches delivered by some of us did not express the policy of the organisation. The evidence of the defend witnesses on policy were even more sober and balanced than that of the police and a wealth of relevant material in this regard was placed before the court. In particular they emphasised the crucial fact that the principles set out in the Freedom Charter would be realised through non violent means.
The police had also seized from a collection of marxist literature and notes I made from this material, especially from the Communist Manifesto and from the three volumes on dialectical materialism by Maurice Cornforth. In my evidence, I told the court that I was a nationalist who fought against all forms of national oppression and injustice, that I was opposed to the division of society into classes and was attracted by the idea of a classless society which I considered to be the core of marxism.
In cross examining me advocate Hoexter tried to re introduce my Sophiatown speech by getting me to admit it. Although Sgt. Sharpe had given a distorted account of the speech I would certainly have