South Africa to hold inquiry on alleged hampering of apartheid prosecutions
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an inquiry to establish whether previous governments led by his party intentionally blocked investigations and prosecutions of apartheid-era crimes, taking a step that survivors and families of those who were killed had demanded for decades.
The landmark move will address allegations of 'improper influence in delaying or hindering' investigations levelled against post-apartheid governments led by the African National Congress (ANC) party, Ramaphosa's office said in a statement on Wednesday.
'President Ramaphosa appreciates the anguish and frustration of the families of victims, who have fought for so many years for justice,' Ramaphosa's office said.
The president's announcement of a judicial commission of inquiry came after 25 survivors and relatives of victims of apartheid-era crimes launched a court case against his government in January, seeking damages.
They alleged that successive South African governments since the late 1990s had failed to properly investigate unresolved killings, disappearances and other crimes during the time of forced racial segregation despite recommendations made by the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The commission was set up in 1996 by then-President Nelson Mandela under the chairmanship of fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu.
Its mission was to expose and record apartheid-era crimes and give some of those responsible an opportunity to confess their role, including members of the apartheid government's state security forces that were implicated in many killings.
The ANC was the organisation at the forefront of the battle against the system of white minority rule and led South Africa to democracy when apartheid ended in 1994. But ANC-led governments since then have been criticised by some for prioritising national reconciliation ahead of justice for victims.
One of the most prominent unresolved cases is that of the Cradock Four, a group of Black anti-apartheid activists who were abducted and murdered by security forces in 1985. Their bodies were burned and security officers were suspected of torturing them.
No one has been prosecuted for the killings, and the circumstances of the deaths have never been fully revealed. These are among the thousands of crimes during apartheid where victims and families still haven't seen justice.
Lukhanyo Calata, whose father Fort was one of the Cradock Four, is part of the group that took the current South African government to court in January.
Calata said at the start of that court case that successive South African governments since the administration of President Thabo Mbeki from 1999-2008 had failed to act on the commission's recommendations and had denied victims and their families justice.
He and other relatives say that government ministers intervened to prevent the investigation and prosecution of crimes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Why ‘Kill the Boer' still echoes: It's not hate, it's hunger for justice
On May 25, Julius Malema, the firebrand leader of South Africa's Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), closed his campaign rally at the Mminara Sports Ground in Kwakwatsi, Free State, as he often does: by singing his favourite anti-apartheid struggle anthem, 'Dubul' ibhunu'. Sung in Xhosa, the song translates to 'Kill the Boer' or 'Kill the farmer' and has long sparked controversy in South Africa and abroad. In recent weeks, the controversy has flared up once again. Just four days earlier, on May 21, during a tense meeting at the White House with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, United States President Donald Trump played a video of Malema and his supporters chanting the song. He claimed it was proof of a 'white genocide' in South Africa and demanded Ramaphosa explain 'that man's' conduct. Yet Malema has been singing this song publicly since 2010. There is no white genocide occurring in South Africa. In fact, in August 2022, the country's Equality Court ruled that the song does not constitute hate speech. By performing it again in Kwakwatsi, Malema was clearly seizing an opportunity to capitalise on Trump's misleading allegations and the global media attention they brought. The disproportionate attention granted to Malema by Trump and his ally Elon Musk obscures a deeper, more urgent reality: millions of Black South Africans, like many across the continent, are crying out for meaningful socioeconomic change and long-overdue justice for the enduring legacies of colonialism and apartheid. They are calling for a modern revolution. Nothing illustrates this more than the EFF's platform. Its policies centre on economic transformation, including land expropriation without compensation and the nationalisation of mines. The party embraces Black nationalism and pan-Africanism, supports Russia in its standoff with NATO, and positions itself in opposition to perceived Western dominance. While the EFF's agenda is bold and Afrocentric, it is hardly new. Decades before the EFF's founding on July 26, 2013, the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), a radical anti-apartheid movement, championed many of the same ideals. Founded on April 6, 1959, by a group that split from the African National Congress (ANC), the PAC was led by Robert Sobukwe, an intellectual, pan-Africanist, and activist. At the party's launch, Sobukwe famously said, 'The Africanists take the view that there is only one race to which we all belong, and that is the human race.' The PAC advocated for the return of land to Indigenous Africans, asserting that it had been unjustly seized by white settlers. This view – that land dispossession lies at the heart of South Africa's historical injustice – has only recently begun to be addressed by the ANC through the Expropriation Act 13 of 2024, signed into law by Ramaphosa on February 23. South African history is rich with visions for African renewal. Sobukwe's philosophy laid the groundwork for what is often mischaracterised today as 'radical economic transformation'. Steve Biko's Black Consciousness Movement in the 1970s instilled pride and self-determination. In the late 1990s, President Thabo Mbeki championed the African Renaissance – a cultural, scientific, and economic revival aimed at decolonising African minds and institutions. Malema is not a theoretical pioneer, but he is a potent political vessel for the ideas long espoused by Sobukwe, Biko, and Mbeki. Much like elsewhere on the continent, South Africans are revisiting the question of land. It signals a broader resurgence of postcolonial ideology. In 1969, Muammar Gaddafi provided a powerful example. He nationalised Libya's Western-owned oil companies to uplift the impoverished. Over a decade, Gaddafi provided free education, healthcare, and subsidised housing, giving Libyans Africa's highest per capita income. In 2000, Zimbabwe launched its land reform programme to reclaim land taken during colonial rule. In more recent examples, Burkina Faso nationalised the Boungou and Wahgnion gold mines in August 2024 and plans to take over more. Mali reclaimed the Yatela mine in October. In December 2024, Niger seized control of the Somair uranium mine, previously run by French nuclear giant Orano. Across Western and Southern Africa, it is clear: the legacy of colonialism still demands redress. South Africa remains the world's most unequal country. Its Gini coefficient, which measures income inequality, consistently ranks among the highest. Decades after apartheid's fall, systemic racial inequality persists, sustained by disparities in education, employment, and economic access. Trump's astonishing decision on February 7 to sanction South Africa – partly over the Expropriation Act – reveals the West's historical amnesia and indifference. Many Black South Africans are desperate to move beyond the past, but are continually thwarted by a refusal to correct entrenched inequality. Ironically, Trump's intervention may serve to galvanise African governments. His public posturing may appeal to his domestic base, but his tone-deafness will only deepen anti-US sentiment among South Africans. Anti-Western feeling is already rising across the continent, fuelled by historical grievances, neocolonial policies, and the emergence of new global powers like Russia and China. This disillusionment is visible in the rejection of Western-backed institutions and a growing appetite for alternative partnerships. Instead of attempting to shame Ramaphosa on the world stage, Trump would do better to support equitable and lawful reforms. Obsessing over Malema is futile – he is merely the voice of a generation grappling with economic pain and historical betrayal. 'Dubul' ibhunu' resonates among parts of South Africa's Black population not because they are bloodthirsty, but because the promises of liberation remain unfulfilled. Trump would do well to understand this: the revolution in Africa is not over. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Syria's president Al Sharaa to deliver speech at UNGA
dpa Damascus Interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa will deliver Syria's speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York in September, sources close to new administration in Syria said on Tuesday. This will be the first time in more than 50 years that a Syrian president takes part in the UNGA meetings in New York, as former leaders Bashar Al Assad and his predecessor and father Hafez never took part in the meetings. Hafez Al Assad served as president of Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000, after which Bashar took over until he was overthrown by an Islamist-led rebel alliance commanded by Al Sharaa in December. Syria's new leadership has been seeking to garner world recognition and economic support to rebuild the country. His trip to the US would be a further diplomatic boost for Al Sharaa, who has already been to several countries in the region, as well as France for talks with President Emmanuel Macron. He also met US President Donald Trump in Riyadh. Once an insurgent leader, Al Sharaa has since renounced both al-Qaeda and Islamic State. However, doubts remain as to whether he has fully abandoned extremist ideology. Syria's crisis started with peaceful pro-democracy protests in March 2011 against Al Assad, before it turned into a full-blown conflict, drawing in foreign fighters and powers.
Qatar Tribune
6 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Hamas agrees to parts of US ceasefire plan for Gaza
dpa Gaza The Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip has agreed to a key point of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's ceasefire plan. As the organisation announced on its Telegram channel, its response to the United States includes a commitment to the partial release of Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel. The Witkoff plan provides for the handover of 10 hostages and the remains of 18 other victims of Hamas to Israel during a 60-day ceasefire. Israel believes that there are currently 20 to 23 living hostages and at least 35 bodies of abductees in the hands of Hamas. According to the Witkoff plan, the two sides are to negotiate the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the war during the 60-day ceasefire. There is no guarantee for the final cessation of hostilities, but this has so far been a central demand of Hamas. It remains unclear how Hamas has responded to this part of the plan. The Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strictly rejects a ceasefire in which all hostages are released and the war ends. Critics accuse it of wanting to continue the war indefinitely for domestic political reasons. At least 60 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours as a result of Israeli airstrikes, Palestinian reports said on Saturday. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health also said that 284 people were injured during the same period. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. The information could not be independently verified. According to the ministry, the current figures do not include the victims registered in hospitals in the north of the war-torn coastal strip, where access remains restricted due to the ongoing fighting. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the most recent attack reports from Gaza. According to Palestinian figures, more than 54,300 people have been killed and more than 124,000 have been injured since the beginning of the Gaza war, which was triggered by the unprecedented Hamas-led attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023.
