Thabo Sejanamane, coordinator for the Mafikeng Anti-Repression Forum (MAREF) was arrested by officers of the Bophuthatswana “homeland” security police on 13 August. Five members of the Mafikeng branch of the African National Congress (ANC), Themba Gwabeni, the chairperson, and Nomvula Hlongwane, Ephraim Notoko, Gordon Kgamanyane and Johannes Molefe were all arrested on 12 August. Lawyers representing the detainees have been denied information on their whereabouts and the reasons for their detention. It is thought that Thabo Sejanamane has been detained solely because of his human rights work. The arrests of the five ANC branch members appear to be intended to obstruct ANC plans to hold a march on 14 August to present a petition to South Africa’s representative in Mmabatho.
