In 1956 , Bunting , Kathrada , and 154 other activists were arrested and charged with high treason . The trial lasted until 29 March 1961 , but Bunting was acquitted along with 91 others and returned to her home and children in October 1958 . The year following her release , she was barred from attendance at meetings and forced to withdraw from twenty-six organizations with which she was affiliated . In March 1960 when the Sharpeville massacre occurred , Bunting was arrested again and held in the Pretoria Central Prison for more than three months . '' New Age '' was banned and closed in 1962 , and all the journalists working there , which included Bunting , her husband , Ruth First and Govan Mbeki among others , were barred from publishing . She and her husband were placed under 24-hour house arrest for a five year period , making political activity impossible . The situation led the Buntings into deciding to leave South Africa for London in 1963 . The exit visas for their exile stated that they could never return to South Africa
Sharpeville massacre
Sharpeville massacre
Sonia Bunting