Accused No. 05 Gudlani “Myner” Bowa

Gudlani “Myner” Bowa grew up in Blikkies and moved with his family to Paballelo as a baby. After completing Standard Eight in 1977, financial constraints forced him to leave school, though he later passed matric via correspondence. Bowa aspired to become a teacher and enrolled at the Cape College of Education in Fort Beaufort for a secondary teaching diploma, during which he became politically aware.

Bowa was implicated in the killing of municipal policeman Lucas Sethwala during the 1985 Paballelo protests. The court found that he participated in stoning Sethwala’s house and associated himself with the group’s actions, leading to a conviction under the apartheid-era “common purpose” law. Sentenced to death in 1989, his sentence was later overturned. His story reflects the intersection of socio-economic hardship, political activism, and the harsh repression faced by Black South Africans under apartheid.