SOUTH AFRICA: SLOGAN OUTBREAK ON JOHANNESBURG'S WALLS: FIRST RASH SINCE NEW "NO SLOGAN" ACT PROMULGATED.

Record ID: 460540

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: SLOGAN OUTBREAK ON JOHANNESBURG'S WALLS: FIRST RASH SINCE NEW "NO SLOGAN" ACT PROMULGATED.
  • Date: 12th July 1962
  • Summary: 1. GV CITY HALL. 0.05 2. CU SLOGAN ON WALL "HANG VORSTER". 0.10 3. LV SLOGAN ON WALL "REMEMBER NUREMBERG". 0.17 4. SV SLOGAN ON ANOTHER WALL: "RESIST NAT FASCISM". 0.20 5. LV PEOPLE PASS SLOGAN "HANG VORSTER". 0.25 6. SV SLOGAN ON WALL: "NATS ARE NAZIS". 0.29 7. SV MAN USES SACK TO RUB OUT SLOGAN. 0.37 Initials DD/S/WS/LW Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 27th July 1962 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
  • Country: South Africa
  • Reuters ID: LVA4WJSF61IWH2YF974FJ0C6NQIO
  • Story Text: WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT'S NEW LAW WHICH MAKES SLOGAN WRITING PUNISHABLE BY IMPRISONMENT FOR UP TO SIX MONTHS, HUGE SLOGANS ATTACKING THE RULING NATIONALIST PARTY, APPEARED ON PROMINENT SITES - BRIDGES, WALLS OVERLOOKING MAIN ROADS, AND THE CITY HALL - IN JOHANNESBURG, THE CAPITAL.

    THE SLOGANS ALSO REFERRED TO MR JOHN VORSTER, MINISTER OF JUSTICE, WHO STEEPED THE GENERAL LAW AMENDMENT ACT - THE SO-CALLED "SABOTAGE ACT" THROUGH PARLIAMENT. SPRAYED IN BLACK AND RED PAINT, THE SLOGANS READ: "HANG VORSTER, REMEMBER NUREMBURG, RESIST NAT FASCISM, AND NATS ARE NAZIS". REGARDED AS THE WORK OF SINGLE GROUP BECAUSE OF THE REPEATED WORDING, THE SLOGANS FIRST APPEARED ON JULY 9 WHICH WAS A PUBLIC HOLIDAY IN SOUTH AFRICA. CALLED FAMILY DAY, IT REPLACES THE HOLIDAY OBSERVED FOR THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY WHEN THE COUNTRY WAS A MEMBER OF THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH.

    UNDER THE SABOTAGE ACT A PERSON FOUND WRITING SLOGANS WILL HAVE TO PAY A FINE EQUAL TO THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY DEFACING PROPERTY, THE MONEY GOING TO THE OWNER TO COVER THE COST OF REPAIRS, IN ADDITION TO SERVING A PRISON SENTENCE. IF THE FINE IS NOT PAID A FURTHER MAXIMUM OF ONE YEAR'S IMPRISONMENT CAN BE ADDED TO THE SENTENCE.

    WITH THE ACT, THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO EXTENDED THE DEFINITION OF SABOTAGE AND CARRYING PENALTIES OF FIVE YEARS IMPRISONMENT AND THE DEATH SENTENCE. MR VORSTER HAS SAID THAT THE ACT IS AIMED AT SABOTEURS AND COMMUNISM BUT THE ACT HAS BEEN STRONGLY OPPOSED BY CHURCHES, STUDENTS, WRITERS, TRADE UNIONS, BAR COUNCIL AND OTHER ORGANISATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA. IN GENEVA, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS HAS SAID THE BILL REDUCED THE LIBERTY OF THE CITIZEN "TO A DEGREE NOT SURPASSED BY THE MOST EXTREME DICTATORSHIP OF THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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