CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an inquiry on Wednesday aimed at determining whether previous governments led by his party, the African National Congress (ANC), intentionally obstructed investigations and prosecutions concerning apartheid-era crimes. The inquiry comes after over two decades of demands from survivors and families of victims seeking justice for unresolved crimes.
Ramaphosa’s historic decision addresses allegations of “improper influence in delaying or hindering” investigations against successive post-apartheid administrations led by the ANC, which played a key role in dismantling the apartheid regime and establishing democracy in South Africa following the end of white minority rule in 1994. His office stated that the new inquiry is part of a settlement agreement related to a court case launched in January by 25 survivors and relatives of victims of apartheid-era violence.
The plaintiffs accused successive governments since the late 1990s of failing to conduct thorough investigations into unresolved killings, disappearances, and other atrocities, despite recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Established in 1996 by then-President Nelson Mandela, the TRC aimed to document apartheid-era crimes and provide amnesty opportunities for those who confessed. While some individuals received amnesty for their roles in these crimes, many others did not come forward, leaving numerous cases unresolved.
One notable unresolved case involves the Cradock Four, a group of Black anti-apartheid activists—Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlauli, and Sparrow Mkonto—who were abducted and murdered by security forces in 1985. Their bodies were subsequently burned, and it is suspected they were tortured. In 1999, six former police officers testified before the TRC regarding these murders, but none were granted amnesty. Despite this, no prosecutions have occurred, and many details surrounding their deaths remain undisclosed.
Lukhanyo Calata, whose father Fort was one of the Cradock Four, is among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the government. He contended at the beginning of the court case that subsequent administrations, particularly during President Thabo Mbeki’s tenure from 1999 to 2008, failed to implement the TRC’s recommendations, consequently denying justice to victims and their families. Calata and others allege that government ministers intervened to obstruct investigations and prosecutions related to apartheid crimes.
While the majority of apartheid-era crime victims were Black, there are also white survivors seeking justice decades later. The collective case against the government includes individuals such as Neville Beling and Karl Weber, who are survivors of the Highgate Hotel Massacre in 1993, during which five white patrons were killed in a bar shooting. Earlier this year, a new inquest was initiated to uncover the identities of the assailants responsible for that attack, while another inquest regarding the Cradock Four is set to commence in June, marking 40 years since their murder.
This inquiry represents a significant step for many families who have long sought accountability for apartheid-era atrocities, highlighting the ongoing struggle for justice in South Africa decades after the end of institutionalized racial segregation. The government's acknowledgment of the need for an investigation into these allegations reflects an effort to address historical wrongs and provide closure for affected families.
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Gerald Imray, The Associated Press
