This Day in History: February 17, 1979
The Anglican Church joined the growing confrontation between church and state, when the Archbishop of Cape Town, Rev. William Barnett issued a statement condemning Apartheid as morally indefensible. He expressed particular concern over deaths in detention and the imprisonment and interrogation of people 'until they die'. Between 27 October, 1971 and 30 January, 1990, seven people died while being held indefinitely under Apartheid's detention laws. An eighth man died in hospital a week after being interrogated by the security branch on the infamous tenth floor of John Vorster Square police station.