South Africa Reopens Inquest into Cradock Four Killings as Families Demand Justice for Apartheid-Era Crimes

iNewsAfrica | Cape Town Bureau | June 4, 2025

A landmark inquest into the 1985 killings of anti-apartheid activists known as the “Cradock Four” has reopened in South Africa. The case—long symbolic of apartheid brutality—seeks to hold accountable those responsible for the extrajudicial murders after decades of delay and political inaction.

• What: Inquest into 1985 apartheid-era murders of the Cradock Four

• Where: High Court, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape

• Why: To establish legal accountability and reopen cold cases stalled since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

• Victims: Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlauli, Sparrow Mkonto

• Outcome Sought: Prosecution of surviving apartheid security officials

Gqeberha, South Africa – In a powerful return to one of the most haunting episodes of South Africa’s apartheid past, the High Court in Gqeberha has reopened an inquest into the murder of the “Cradock Four”—four prominent anti-apartheid activists abducted and assassinated by state security forces in 1985.

The victims—Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlauli, and Sparrow Mkonto—were tortured and killed by the apartheid regime’s security machinery in a targeted operation meant to silence growing resistance. Their mutilated bodies were discovered weeks later, sparking international outrage and further resistance to apartheid.

This latest inquest marks the third official investigation into their deaths, following previous inquiries in 1987 and 1993 that failed to bring any legal consequences. Despite the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) denying amnesty in 1999 to six implicated officers, no prosecutions were ever made. Many of the suspected perpetrators have since died.

Advocate Howard Varney, representing the families of the victims, told the court the murders were “deliberate assassinations sanctioned at the highest level of the apartheid state.” The inquest is expected to name former military and intelligence officials—among them retired Major General Joffel van der Westhuizen, who denies any involvement.

The timing of this legal reopening comes amid growing demands from victims’ families and civil society groups for justice and reparations for apartheid-era crimes. In January 2025, 25 families launched a civil lawsuit against the government for its failure to prosecute these cases. In response, President Cyril Ramaphosa set up a judicial commission in April 2025 to examine claims that successive democratic governments deliberately delayed or obstructed apartheid-era prosecutions.

As the inquest unfolds, many see it as a litmus test for South Africa’s willingness to finally confront its violent history. For the families of the Cradock Four, this is not just about accountability—it is about dignity, truth, and healing.

“We’ve waited four decades for justice,” said Lukhanyo Calata, son of Fort Calata. “Now is the time for the truth to be revealed, and for those who buried it to be held to account.”