Ailing Black Union Leader, 76, Imprisoned in Slayings of 2 Whites

An ailing, 76-year-old labor leader, convicted in 1983 of terrorism in a case involving two white motorists who were stoned to death in Cape Town five years ago, was imprisoned Sunday after South African Justice Minister Hendrik J. Coetsee rejected a leniency plea.

Oscar Mpetha, a respected figure in black trade unionism and the anti-apartheid movement in Cape Town, was taken into custody early Sunday, his son, Oscar Jr., said.

Coetsee linked Mpetha’s imprisonment to the nation’s current unrest, particularly his role as a leader of the United Democratic Front. Since Friday, 32 leaders of the multiracial anti-apartheid coalition have been detained.

The arrests seem to be aimed at thwarting the organization of a planned march Wednesday on Pollsmoor Prison outside Cape Town, where Nelson Mandela, leader of the African National Congress, is held. Police have warned that the march is illegal and will be dealt with sternly.

Mpetha had been free on bail since his conviction while the appeals process was exhausted. Several youths tried with him were convicted of the actual murder of the whites. Mpetha began a five-year mandatory sentence, the minimum for anyone convicted under South Africa’s Terrorism Act.