Uncovering the past: South Africa reopens key inquests into apartheid-era killings
At least five inquests into the deaths of prominent apartheid-era activists have either been reopened or resumed in South Africa this year.
Steve Biko
Among them the high-profile is the inquest into the death of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko. On September 10, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) announced the case would be re-opened, with proceedings starting on Friday.
“The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has, in terms of section 17A (1) read with sections 6(a) and 6(d) of the Inquests Act, Act 58 of 1959, directed that the inquest into the death of the late Stephen ‘Steve’ Bantu Biko be re-opened,” Terrence Manase, spokesperson to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi.
Biko, an activist and writer, died in police custody in 1977 after severe beatings by apartheid security forces. He is remembered for his influential words: “The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”
Cradock Four
Other apartheid-era cases are also under judicial review. Another inquest into the 1985 murders of the Cradock Four, Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sparrow Mkonto, and Sicelo Mhlauli resumed in the Gqeberha High Court on June 2, 2025.
The four activists were abducted, tortured, and killed by security police after attending a United Democratic Front meeting in Port Elizabeth.
Five Mthatha minors
In Mthatha, the Minister of Justice approved a joint inquest into the deaths of five minors killed during a 1993 South African Defence Force raid at the home of Pan Africanist Congress activist Sigqibo Mpendulo. The boys, who were preparing for their final exams, were tragically shot dead.
Albert Luthuli
Additionally, the reopened inquest into the death of Chief Albert Luthuli began in April 2025 in Pietermaritzburg but has been adjourned until October for closing arguments. Luthuli was born in 1898. He rose to prominence in 1937, when the then-Department of Native Affairs nominated him as Chief of the Zulu people in Groutville. In 1944, he joined the African National Congress (ANC), ultimately becoming its President General.
Mlungisi Griffiths Mxenge
Meanwhile, proceedings into the 1981 murder of human rights lawyer Mlungisi Griffiths Mxenge have also been revived. Mxenge was stabbed 45 times and had his throat slit near Durban. A 1982 inquest failed to identify the perpetrators.
The new hearings mark a broader push to revisit unsolved cases of political violence under apartheid and to bring long-delayed justice to victims’ families.
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