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Al Jazeera
27-06-2025
- Al Jazeera
‘Waited for 40 years': South Africa's Cradock Four families want justice
Johannesburg, South Africa – On the night of June 27, 1985 in South Africa, four Black men were travelling together in a car from the southeastern city of Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha, to Cradock. They had just finished doing community organising work on the outskirts of the city when apartheid police officials stopped them at a roadblock. The four – teachers Fort Calata, 29, and Matthew Goniwe, 38; school principal Sicelo Mhlauli, 36; and railway worker Sparrow Mkonto, 34 – were abducted and tortured. Later, their bodies were found dumped in different parts of the city – they had been badly beaten, stabbed and burned. The police and apartheid government initially denied any involvement in the killings. However, it was known that the men were being surveilled for their activism against the gruelling conditions facing Black South Africans at the time. Soon after, evidence of a death warrant that had been issued for some members of the group was anonymously leaked, and later, it emerged that their killings had long been planned. Though there were two inquests into the murders – both under the apartheid regime in 1987 and 1993 – neither resulted in any perpetrator being named or charged. 'The first inquest was conducted entirely in Afrikaans,' Lukhanyo Calata, Ford Calata's son, told Al Jazeera earlier this month. 'My mother and the other mothers were never offered any opportunity in any way whatsoever to make statements in that,' the 43-year-old lamented. 'These were courts in apartheid South Africa. It was a completely different time where it was clear that four people were murdered, but the courts said no one could be blamed for that.' Soon after apartheid ended in 1994, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was set up. There, hearings confirmed the 'Cradock Four' were indeed targeted for their political activism. Although a few former apartheid officers confessed to being involved, they would not disclose the details and were denied amnesty. Now, four decades after the killings, a new inquest has begun. Although justice has never seemed closer, for families of the deceased, it has been a long wait. 'For 40 years, we've waited for justice,' Lukhanyo told local media this week. 'We hope this process will finally expose who gave the orders, who carried them out, and why,' he said outside the court in Gqeberha, where the hearings are taking place. As a South African journalist, it's almost impossible to cover the inquiry without thinking about the extent of crimes committed during apartheid – crimes by a regime so committed to propping up its criminal, racist agenda that it took it to its most violent and deadly end. There are many more stories like Calata's, many more victims like the Cradock Four, and many more families still waiting to hear the truth of what happened to their loved ones. Known victims Attending the court proceedings in Gqeberha and watching the families reminded me of Nokhutula Simelane. More than 10 years ago, I travelled to Bethal in the Mpumalanga province to speak with her family about her disappearance in 1983. Simelane joined Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), which was the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC) – the liberation movement turned majority ruling party in South Africa. As an MK operative, she worked as a courier taking messages and parcels between South Africa and what was then Swaziland. Simelane was lured to a meeting in Johannesburg and it was from there that she was kidnapped and held in police custody, tortured and disappeared. Her family says they still feel the pain of not being able to bury her. At the TRC, five white men from what was the special branch of the apartheid police, applied for amnesty related to Simelane's abduction and presumed murder. Former police commander Willem Coetzee, who headed the security police unit, denied ordering her killing. But that was countered by testimony from his colleague that she was brutally murdered and buried somewhere in what is now the North West province. Coetzee previously said Simelane was turned into an informant and was sent back to Swaziland. Until now, no one has taken responsibility for her disappearance – not the apartheid security forces nor the ANC. The case of the Cradock Four also made me think of anti-apartheid activist and South African Communist Party member, Ahmed Timol, who was tortured and killed in 1971 but whose murder was also covered up. Apartheid police said the 29-year-old teacher fell out of a 10th-floor window at the notorious John Vorster Square police headquarters in Johannesburg, where he was being held. An inquest the following year concluded he had died by suicide, at a time when the apartheid government was known for its lies and cover-ups. Decades later, a second inquest under the democratic government in 2018 found that Timol had been so badly tortured in custody that he would never have been able to jump out of a window. It was only then that former security branch officer Joao Rodrigues was formally charged with Timol's murder. The elderly Rodrigues rejected the charges and applied for a permanent stay of prosecution, saying he would not receive a fair trial because he was unable to properly recall events at the time of Timol's death, given the number of years that have passed. Rodrigues died in 2021. 'A crime against his humanity' Apartheid was brutal. And for the people left behind, unresolved trauma and unanswered questions are the salt in the deep wounds that remain. Which is why families like those of the Cradock Four are still at the courts, seeking answers. In her testimony before the court this month, 73-year-old Nombuyiselo Mhlauli, wife of Sicelo Mhlauli, described the state of her husband's body when she received his remains for burial. He had more than 25 stab wounds in the chest, seven in the back, a gash across his throat and a missing right hand, she said. I spoke to Lukhanyo a day before he returned to court to continue his testimony in the hearing for his father's killing. He talked about how emotionally draining the process had been – yet vital. He also spoke about his work as a journalist, growing up without a father, and the impact it's had on his life and outlook. 'There were crimes committed against our humanity. If you look at the state in which my father's body was found, that was a clear crime against his humanity, completely,' Lukhanyo testified on the sixth day of the inquest. But his frustration and anger do not end with the apartheid government. He holds the ANC, which has been in power since the end of apartheid, partly responsible for taking too long to adequately address these crimes. Lukhanyo believes the ANC betrayed the Cradock Four, and this betrayal 'cut the deepest'. 'Today we are sitting with a society that is completely lawless,' he said in court. '[This is] because at the start of this democracy, we did not put in the proper processes to tell the rest of society that you will be held accountable for things that you have done wrong.' Fort Calata's grandfather, the Reverend Canon James Arthur Calata, was the secretary-general of the ANC from 1939 to 1949. The Calata family has a long history with the liberation movement, which makes it all the more difficult for someone like Lukhanyo to understand why it's taken the party so long to deliver justice. Seeking accountability and peace The office of South Africa's Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, says the department has intensified its efforts to deliver long-awaited justice and closure for families affected by apartheid-era atrocities. 'These efforts signal a renewed commitment to restorative justice and national healing,' the department said in a statement. The murders of the Cradock Four, Simelane and Timol are among the horrors and stories we know about. But I often wonder about all the names, victims and testimonies that remain hidden or buried. The murders of countless mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters by the apartheid regime matter not only to those who cared for them but for the consciousness of South African society as a whole, no matter how normalised the tally of the dead has become. It's not clear how long this new inquest will take. It is expected to last several weeks, with former security police, political figures and forensic experts testifying. Initially, six police officers were implicated in the killings. They have all since died, but family members of the Cradock Four say senior officials who gave the orders should be held responsible. The state, however, is reluctant to pay the legal costs of apartheid police officers implicated in the murders, and that may slow down the process. Meanwhile, as the families wait for answers about what happened to their loved ones and accountability for those responsible, they are trying to make peace with the past. 'I've been on my own, trying to bring up children – fatherless children,' Nombuyiselo told Al Jazeera outside the court about the years since her husband Sicelo's death. 'The last 40 years have been very difficult for me – emotionally, and also spiritually.'
eNCA
03-06-2025
- General
- eNCA
Wheels of justice turn as inquests continue
GQEBERHA - On Tuesday, the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha visited the home of struggle hero, Matthew Goniwe. The court is holding an inquest into his death and that of Fort Calata, Sicelo Mhlauli and Sparrow Mkonto. The Cradock 4 inquest is but one of many inquiries into apartheid-era crimes. SA Human Rights Commissioner, Tshepo Madlingozi, discussed the progress of the prosecution of historical crimes.
The Herald
03-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
Court retraces steps of Cradock Four
News Inspection held in Nxuba as part of inquest into deaths of activists Premium By Riaan Marais - 03 June 2025 From the hill in the suburb of Bergsig, overlooking Nxuba, state security services had an uninterrupted view of Lingelihle Township — particularly the home of political activist Matthew Goniwe. It was from that hill where they continuously monitored the movements of the Cradock Four, and in 1985 slowly formulated their sinister plans to have Goniwe and his comrades, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli, eliminated...
News24
02-06-2025
- General
- News24
Cradock Four inquest: Brutal murders were ‘calculated and premeditated', court told
Four anti-apartheid activists - Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkonto and Sicelo Mhlauli - were abducted and brutally murdered by apartheid security forces in June 1985. The families of the victims still seek justice 40 years later despite two previous inquests identifying security forces as responsible for the killings of the Cradock Four. The current inquest at the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha will continue until 12 June, including site visits to the Goniwe family home, Cradock Four Monument, and the scene of abduction. The murder of the Cradock Four by the apartheid regime's security forces was calculated and premeditated, the inquest into the deaths of the anti-apartheid activists heard on the first day of its reopening on Monday. The inquest is being held at the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha. Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkonto and Sicelo Mhlauli, popularly known as the Cradock Four, were abducted and viciously murdered by the South African security police in June 1985. This was after they were detained at a roadblock near Gqeberha. The first inquest was opened in 1987 and concluded in February 1989 with no prosecution. A second inquest in 1994 was presided by Judge Neville Zietsman who found security forces responsible for the murders and established that a case of suspicion had been made out against police officers and members of South African Defence Force (SADF). Despite the findings, no action was taken against them. On behalf of the families of the victims, Howard Varney from law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, said it was unfortunate that 40 years later, the families were still waiting for justice. Varney said the victims were murdered as part of apartheid regime's ruthless campaign against those mobilising resistance against the oppression. He added: These were four young men who had so much to offer South Africa. They were visionaries and leaders. They were deeply loved and treasured by their families, friends and comrades. 'We intend to demonstrate that the deaths of the Cradock Four were brought about by a way of a calculated and premeditated decision by the apartheid regime. It was meticulously planned by the security branch in an official operation.' Varney added that the Eastern Cape, Cradock in particular, was an epicentre of the fight back against apartheid. 'We believe that the role of the state security council in authorising or approving the elimination of the Cradock Four should be closely investigated by this inquest,' Varney added. Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, SC, who represents some Goniwe family members and the Cradock community, said there was a possibility the 'full truth' could be told in the third inquest. 'There is also a possibility of closure from a perspective of psychological trauma,' he added. The inquest, which is expected to continue until 12 June, will include an inspection in loco at the Goniwe family home in Nxuba (formerly Cradock), the Cradock Four Monument and the Olifantskop Pass - the scene of the abduction of the four, about 89km from Gqeberha. Families of the victims, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane and Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi attended the proceedings on Monday. Judge Nomathamsanqa Beshe said the purpose of an inquest was to establish whether the death of anyone who died of something other natural causes has been brought about by any act involving or amounting to an offence on the part of any person or persons. 'In the previously held inquests, the presiding officers concluded or held that the deaths of the Cradock Four were brought about by an unknown person or persons. I will be required to make a finding as to whether the deaths were brought about by an act or omission prima facie involving or amounting to an offence on the part of any person or persons.'
Daily Maverick
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
From apartheid silence to today's hatred – shame on the politicians
Kaax supports the families seeking justice for apartheid-era crimes. Justice and truth are necessary for building a better and fairer South Africa. Today, we are witnessing a toxic resurgence of hatred in our society. On social media platforms, in public discourse and in township struggles, the violence of apartheid appears to be resurrected in the manner in which we demonise the poor, predominantly black migrants through institutionalised xenophobia and open hatred. This must be located in the global context of the re-election of Donald Trump as president of the US. What appears to be a mobilisation of fascist right-wing racist politics provides fodder for the toxic hatred that is shared on social media platforms. At the same time, in the South African context, the Foundation for Human Rights, an active founding member organisation of Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia (Kaax), is standing firmly in support of four families, demanding that the state account for its failures, specifically of the anti-apartheid activists known as the Cradock Four, who were abducted, tortured and murdered by the apartheid state. On 27 June 1985, Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlauli, Fort Calata and Sparrow Mkonto, on their way back to Cradock from Port Elizabeth, were arrested at a roadblock set up by the security forces. Their deaths shocked the nation and became a symbol of institutionalised racism, the violence of apartheid and its legal implementation, as well as how easily governments can turn ordinary people into enemies of the state. Chilling echoes Today, we see chilling echoes of that logic in how South African leaders speak about migrants, and the criminalisation of migrants, predominantly black African migrants. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi's recent comment on undocumented foreign nationals, in an address to an ANC gathering, raises grave concerns. He made the completely unverified and unsubstantiated claim that, 'over 65% of the residents (of informal settlements in Gauteng) are foreign nationals'. This is not leadership, it is scapegoating. The premier's words follow a well-worn path: define a group, isolate it and incite public disdain. The responses on social media, amplified by news coverage, show just how effectively this tactic works. But we have been here before. Under apartheid, the state targeted individuals and communities in the name of order. Bureaucratic phrases like 'removal from society' masked brutal, often fatal, intentions. The Cradock Four were not criminals. They were community leaders. But the apartheid state deemed them threats because they dared to challenge injustice. Today, migrants are cast in a similar role: blamed for poverty, poor services and unemployment – not because the evidence supports it, but because it is politically convenient and politically expedient in that this will win votes for the ANC and many other political parties of the same ilk. But it is full of propaganda and lies. Just like the apartheid state's existence depended on the demonisation of black people, across the globe today, states demonise migrants to detract from their failure to address inequalities and systemic unemployment, as is the case in South Africa. Honour the legacy The solution is not to criminalise the poor or to echo the apartheid tactic of dehumanising others to deflect from government failures. Instead of repeating history's mistakes, we should honour the legacy of those like the Cradock Four—people who believed in dignity, equality and justice across borders. They fought for a South Africa that welcomed all who sought peace and opportunity, not one that turned on the vulnerable. We cannot afford the luxury of forgetting. When leaders use language that divides and targets, they do more than fail the vulnerable, they betray the very spirit of our hard-won democracy. The Cradock Four were murdered because a government feared the power of organised, principled resistance. But history teaches us: no amount of scapegoating can solve structural injustice. It only deepens the wound. South Africa must choose: do we repeat the sins of our past, or do we finally build the inclusive future so many died fighting for? Let us be clear: apartheid was not just a crime against humanity – it was a system built on the dehumanisation of black people. It was a project of racial capitalism, structural violence and state-sanctioned hatred and brutal forms of repression. For years, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) offered this country a fragile promise: that truth would lead to justice. But more than 300 cases recommended for prosecution were shelved — not by accident, but by political choice. That choice now has a name. Political expediency Former president Thabo Mbeki and former minister of justice Bridgette Mabandla were at the helm of government during a critical period when this country had the opportunity to honour the dead and repair the living. Instead, the pursuit of justice was smothered in the name of political expediency. That they now oppose a court case seeking to right that wrong is not only selfish — it is shameful. Xenophobia — much like racism — is the convenient narrative of those in power who refuse to confront structural inequality. Xenophobic violence and hatred are a result of deliberate lies and misinformation spewed by opportunistic politicians blaming migrants in response to the cries of the neglected, the dispossessed, the betrayed working class and the poor in South Africa, the majority of whom are black. This is the reality of a country which continues to be the most unequal in the world and which refuses to address the root causes of inequality, which lie in the unfair privilege that the tiny white minority enjoyed for more than 300 years of colonisation and then apartheid rule. These are the ills of apartheid that the Truth and Reconciliation process must expose. Instead, the current government uses its power to lie about the reality of poverty, state failure, exploitation, and then to blame migrants. Where is the pan African dream? The betrayal of the TRC families is not separate from the abandonment of today's struggling communities. It is part of the same story: a nation unwilling to reckon with its history. There is a blatant lack of political will by the government to use the power that the constitution gives it – the power to transform South Africa. This should be the redress that will speak to the injustice and unfair privilege enjoyed by both individuals and companies who made excessive profits through legalised forms of discrimination based on the colour of a human being's skin. This redress must take the form of a wealth tax that will enable this government to enforce a universal income grant. Kaax supports the families seeking justice for apartheid-era crimes. This case is an important step in dealing with the past and making sure those responsible are held accountable. We encourage all civil society groups and the public to support this effort. Justice and truth are necessary for building a better and fairer South Africa. DM
