03/01/1975: letter from a Mrs. Robertson in South Hills — she says "we are poor people", they don't even have a telephone — about her son who is wasting away in Kroonstad Prison though he's only a short-term prisoner and Helen Suzman response.

23/03/1975: letter from Mr. W.G. Anderson to the Mayor of Boksburg about the state of Cinderella Prison.

29/07/1975: Letters to and from Mrs. Phyllis Naidoo at A.J. Gumede & Phyllis Naidoo Attorneys & Conveyancers in Durban concerning Robben Island authorities not accepting a R100 cheque for Billy Nair's studies.

11/10/1974: newspaper cutting from the Pretoria News "Rogue police must be fired — Helen" and a House of Assembly question paper dated 06/09/1974 concerning how many people had been shot and killed or wounded by the SAP between January and June 1974.

22//10/1974: Memo to Helen Suzman from Barry Streek headed "Police Vote: SASO / BPC detentions"; the memo concerns arrests and detentions after pro-Frelimo rallies, Lindelwa and Brigett [sic] Mabandla, both of whom were detained for more than 3 weeks and who have a 6 month old baby. Streek also says "I have also enclosed some cuttings on discriminatory police pay and benefits — which could, usefully, be hammered, as well as low pay for police".

11/11/1974: letter addressed to Honourable Minister of Justice [presumably Jimmy Kruger] addressed "Dear Jimmy" with a list of prisons about which she'd received complaints during 1974 [12 are listed including Baviaanspoort, Lesley Prison Outstation and Oubiqua]; the letter also contains a paragraph referring to Robben Island and complaints she has received about conditions there. She goes on "I am about to leave for America and I will contact you on my return to see whether I can persuade you to change your mind about allowing me to visit Pretoria Special Section ... I hope you will manage to get some rest during the recess from troublesome some MPs who shall be nameless".

13/11/1974: Helen Suzman letter to Denis Herbstein at the UK Sunday Times concerning Jack Tarshish good recovery from open heart surgery and not being able to get Mrs. De Keyser (Ethel) a temporary visa to SA to visit her brother.

13/02/1973: Letter (photocopy) from Helen Suzman concerning Raymond Thoms and his attacks on fellow prisoners [Marius Schoon, Hugh Lewin, Dave Evans], his attempts to blind himself, poison other prisoners, attacks on warders. Helen Suzman asks for action to be taken now to remove Thoms. The letter is cc'd to Esme Goldberg [mother of Denis Goldberg], Ethel de Keyser and Norma Kitson.

1973 (?): letter from Mrs. V. Smailes about conditions at The Fort — refers mostly to white prisoners.

1973: Letters and documents concerning the treatment of 37 South-West African / Namibian prisoners on Robben Island; correspondents include Helen Suzman, the prisoners themselves, the Bishop of Damaraland-in-Exile Colin Winter, the-then Minister of Justice P. Pelser (Helen Suzman addresses him as 'Dear Peet'). The letter from Helen Suzman to Pelser, dated 30/07/1973, mentions Elizabeth Toivo, mother of Herman Toivo Ja-Toivo, who is unable to visit her son. The letter starts off: "I have just returned from overseas, where, as you will have no doubt seen, I was well and truly "doctored". It was, I must say, a great day".

Another set of letters about Toivo Ja-Toivo — correspondents being Colin Winter, John Rees (SACC), Minister Pelser & Helen Suzman.

14/12/1973: Government Gazette No. 4103 — Amendment of Prison Regulations.

10/12/1973 and 04/01/1974: letters from and to Mr. Matyum Mazondwa, a former Robben Islander, about him being dumped in Ilinge after his release from the Island.

27/01/1972: letter from a Mr. A.R. Short concerning an unprovoked attack on prisoners by warders at Durban Central Prison on 24/01/1972 using "rubber truncheons, tin mugs attached to leather belts and straps, broomsticks and batons, gas pistols... Pelser and General J. C. Steyn forget that we have a Mrs. Helen Suzman who will see the wrong rectified".

April-May 1972: letters and reports concerning Patrick Pather "an exhibitionist" serving 9-15 years for a 4th offence; a psychiatrist recommends he be castrated.

08/05/1972-04/07/1972: letters concerning the house occupied by the Head Warder H.J.F. Smit at Geluk Prison in Bethal.

March-July 1972: letters between Helen Suzman and prisoners, prisoner's relatives and the Prisons Department concerning A.R. Campbell, Henry Claude Valentine and Alpist Ndlalise.

September 1972: letters concerning alleged assault on deaf and dumb prisoner John Luthuli in Durban Prison.

November 1972: letters between Helen Suzman and Judge Steyn and the Commissioner of Prisons concerning brutality and poor food at Worcester and Brandvlei Prisons.

22/11/1970: letter from Gladstone Williams (real name Vuyisile Mjadu), Barberton Prison to Griffiths Mxenge concerning murders of prisoners by warders; there follows an exchange of correspondence between Helen Suzman and Griffiths Mxenge during 1971. Subjects include assaults on prisoners at Leeukop Prison where he had been jailed, exiled former Robben Island prisoners who are now living "in places one would be tempted to call concentration camps" and why people released from prison are then banned; re his own banning order, due to expire on 28/02/1971; refers to his arrest in 1966 and the attitude of authorities that prevented him attending classes at the University of Natal; Mxenge goes on to say that he fears his ban will be re-imposed and mentions that the Special Branch are "mean and vindictive towards me". He mentions that he was refused residence permits for both Botswana and Zambia and that he and his wife [Victoria Mxenge] are considering going to London if he is banned again.

HS replies on 22/01/1971 that going to the UK might be a good idea "judging by my past conversations with the Minister about you" and suggests that he writes to Sir Robert Birley; on 02/02/1971 GM refers to Helen Suzman visit to Robben Island saying that he had been told that "immediately after you were there prison conditions improved. Of course they deteriorated afterwards." GM says re Helen Suzman: "I often wonder what our country would look like without a courageous Mrs. Helen Suzman" and "As long as we have people like you the future of this country is bright." When his ban was not re-imposed GM writes to Helen Suzman "I am greatly indebted to you for the courageous manner in which you fought my case.".

Includes: 25/05/1966: Helen Suzman letter to Minister of Justice hoping that prisoners who have committed "offences against the state" will not be excluded from any proposed amnesty and, if they are, that they will at least be upgraded; 16/02/1967: Helen Suzman letter to Minister of Justice & Prisons — Pelser - about her visit to Robben Island on the morning of 15/02/1967 in the company of General Steyn. Helen Suzman remarks that (Robert) Sobukwe was lonely because he was separated from all other prisoners and the issue of getting rail warrants to enable his wife to visit him; she also raises the problems of other prisoners such as getting permission to study — especially those who are illiterate — lack of adequate clothing, food and photos of their families; she met with Nelson Mandela, Neville Alexander, (Govan) Mbeki and others. Alexander was having problems with his studies whilst Mandela's chief complaint concerned warder van Rensburg at the Robben Island quarry; generally there was a need for hot water, tobacco and attention to the grading system; 08/12/1967: Helen Suzman letter to Gwendolyn Carter (Dept. of African Studies, North-West University, Evanston, Illinois, USA) concerning a book she had sent to Helen Suzman called "The Transkei"; she mentions the "pipe-dream" of the homelands policy and the "hopelessness of ever believing that the homelands can offer any sort of viable alternative to Africans" and the growing concern for women "who land up in bleak settlement areas" such as one near Queenstown; 22/02/1968: letter to Helen Suzman from Stephanie Sachs [wife of Albie Sachs] asking whether Helen Suzman had seen any female "non-white political prisoners serving long-term sentences" and where they are being held; Helen Suzman says she hopes to be able to do this during the parliamentary recess and goes on to say that she hopes Stephanie and Albie have settled down happily in London; 16/04/1968: letter from I. Stein, now in London, concerning an assault on him whilst in Pollsmoor on 18/10/1966.

Includes: 15/03/1962: correspondence concerning Cinderella Prison between Helen Suzman and the Commissioner of Prisons Mr. V. R. Verster [Victor Verster perhaps?]; Verster states that all the allegations made about conditions at the prison are unfounded, despite some being extremely specific; 06/07/1965: Helen Suzman letter to J.B. Braaksma at 611 Monaco, Troye Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria concerning legal aid, the costs of political trials, the activities of Defence & Aid Fund etc., August 1965: correspondence with Minister of Justice Vorster concerning her acceptance of his general invitation (apparently reported in Die Transvaaler on 24th July) to MPs to visit prisons.

Made on behalf of prisoners, including visits to prisons, prison conditions. Also included appeals by non-prisoners to H. Suzman.