Upington

Town in Transvaal, South Africa, 800 km/500 mi west of Pretoria. In November 1985 it was the scene of a demonstration against high rents that resulted in the death of a police officer and the subsequent arrest of 25 people. The ‘Upington 25’, as they came to be known, were later found guilty of murder under the law of common purpose. On appeal 1991, the death sentences were set aside and the prison sentences, for all but one of the original 25 people convicted, were reduced.