Latest news with #Calata
Eyewitness News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
'Cradock Four' inquest: Son of Calata drops bombshell that his dad died for his activism
JOHANNESBURG - The son of slain apartheid activist Fort Calata has testified before an inquest that he was told by a senior government official that his father's case was part of the price that had to be paid during negotiations for South Africa's freedom. The Cradock inquest is on its fifth day in the Gqeberha High Court, and Lukhanyo Calata is on the witness stand. The inquiry is to establish whether the apartheid security branch police or any other people can be held liable for the deaths of the anti-apartheid activists. Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlauli and Sparrow Mkhonto were abducted and assassinated by police in 1985. IN PICS: Gqeberha High Court Judge visits key locations linked to lives of 'Cradock Four' It's a widespread rumour that the negotiators of South Africa's freedom in the run-up to democracy may have agreed to certain conditions that have led to most black South Africans remaining disadvantaged, and the perpetrators of apartheid crimes being let off the hook. But on Friday, in the 'Cradock Four' inquest, the son of Calata, Lukhanyo, told the Gqeberha High Court of a conversation he had with the Deputy Minister of Justice, John Jeffrey, in 2017. 'The deputy minister said you know the issues of the TRC [Truth and Reconciliation Commission], including the 'Cradock Four' matter, was part of the price that had to be paid for the negotiation settlement. When he said that my blood was boiling, because what did he mean that this was part of the price that had to be paid?' Calata said his family was not willing to accept that his father was used by politicians as a pawn in some kind of negotiation game. ALSO READ: Judge visits locations related to killings of Cradock Four
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Four decades on, still no justice for South Africa's Apartheid-era atrocities
Victims of Apartheid-era atrocities are suing the South African government for damages over failing to prosecute those suspected of committing Apartheid-era crimes. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission identified some 300 suspects to be investigated for possible prosecution, but the vast majority were never pursued. Lukhanyo Calata was 3 years old when his father's body was found. He says he was too young to remember his dad, and only recalls his funeral. 'I remember seeing what I grew up calling 'the red box',' he said, referring to his father's coffin. 'I remember seeing it being lowered into the ground, and I knew that my father was in there. What I didn't know at the time was that I would have to grow up without him,' said the 43-year-old. Fort Calata was an anti-Apartheid activist from the town of Cradock in the Eastern Cape. He was raised by his grandfather, the secretary general of the African National Congress (ANC), who instilled in him the fight for civil rights. As Calata grew into a young man, his activism gained traction in Cradock and he became a target of the state's security apparatus. On June 27, 1985, Calata and his comrades Matthew Goniwe, Sparrow Mkonto and Sicelo Mhlauli drove to Port Elizabeth for a United Democratic Front meeting. But they never returned. Their desecrated corpses were found burned, with signs of torture. They would become known as the Cradock Four. 'They had pulled my father's tongue out of his mouth,' Calata said. 'And they had cut off his ring finger. I don't know why.' The suspected killers of the Cradock Four asked for amnesty but were denied. Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:In South Africa, poor governance leads to collapse of Johannesburg's infrastructureOpenly gay imam shot dead in South Africa
