Accused No.18 and No. 19 Gideon Madlongwane and Evelina De Bruin

Gideon Madlongwane and Evelina de Bruin were members of the “Upington 14,” anti-apartheid activists tried under the apartheid-era “common purpose” law following the 1985 killing of municipal policeman Lucas Sethwala during protests in Paballelo, Upington.

Gideon, born around 1928, grew up in Zingqutu Reserve caring for livestock. He moved to Upington at 24 and worked for the railways for 36 years, earning multiple service awards. He had three children from his first marriage, and was a respected member of the Paballelo community, including serving as an executive member of the local Chiefs soccer club.

Evelina, born around 1935, moved from Postmasburg to Upington as a teenager. She worked as a domestic worker for most of her life and had seven children with her first husband, William Dandiso. At the time of her arrest, she lived with Gideon and had two youngest children, aged nine and ten, cared for by relatives.

Both Gideon and Evelina were found guilty of murder under the apartheid-era “common purpose” law for their involvement in stoning Sethwala’s house. They were sentenced to death in 1989; their sentences were later overturned. Their stories reflect the intersection of social, economic, and political pressures faced by Black South Africans, as well as the systemic repression of anti-apartheid activists under apartheid law.