Latest news with #MatthewGoniwe
eNCA
2 days ago
- 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
2 days ago
- 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
4 days ago
- 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
