South Africa‘s justice ministry announced on Friday its decision to reopen an inquiry into the unsolved murder of four anti-apartheid activists known as the Cradock Four.
The activists—Matthew Goniwe, Sparrow Mkonto, Fort Calata, and Sicelo Mhlauli—were abducted and killed in June 1985 while returning home to Cradock. Their badly burnt bodies, bearing multiple stab wounds, were discovered days later.
The apartheid regime’s security forces were suspected in the killings, but no one has been held accountable.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola stated that reopening the inquiry was essential “in the interests of justice to finally bring closure to the families of the deceased who have been waiting decades for the truth about who killed their loved ones.”
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Two inquests in 1987 and 1993 failed to provide satisfactory answers, leading to more questions.
Following the end of apartheid in 1994, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established to expose the atrocities of the white-minority regime.
The TRC found that the South African government, police, and security branch were responsible for a “systematic pattern of abuse” resulting in the “deaths and disappearances of activists.”
In the Cradock Four case, members of the security forces revealed details about the killings 14 years after the incidents.
While the TRC offered amnesty to those who provided a full account of their crimes, this was denied to suspects involved in the Cradock Four deaths.
The National Prosecuting Authority Service is advocating for the reopening of the case to present evidence from the TRC that was not considered in previous inquiries.
Lamola emphasized that this move is crucial for restoring confidence in the justice system.
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