WORLD : 14 Get Death in S. Africa Slaying
A high court sentenced 14 blacks to death today for the 1985 murder of a policeman during anti-government rioting, despite finding that only four of the defendants actively participated in the killing.
Invoking a controversial “common purpose” doctrine, Justice Jan Basson delivered the death penalty to 14 of 25 defendants after a nearly four-year trial. The 11 other defendants will be sentenced next week.
The 14, including a former mayor, a nurse and an elderly couple with 10 children, were found guilty with no extenuating circumstances for the Nov. 13, 1985, murder of black policeman Jetta Sethwala who was chased from his home, beaten to death and later set ablaze in Paballelo township.
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