Faith Nyasuguta
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered a judicial inquiry to investigate whether past administrations deliberately obstructed justice for apartheid-era crimes. The announcement, made on Wednesday, marks a significant turning point for survivors and families who have spent over two decades demanding accountability.
The inquiry seeks to determine if previous African National Congress (ANC)-led governments interfered with investigations or prosecutions tied to apartheid abuses. Ramaphosa’s office said the probe would examine allegations of “improper influence in delaying or hindering” justice.
The ANC, once at the forefront of the anti-apartheid struggle, has led South Africa since the country transitioned to democracy in 1994. However, ANC-led governments have often been accused of prioritizing national healing over legal redress for victims of apartheid atrocities.
This latest move follows a lawsuit filed in January 2025 by 25 survivors and families of apartheid victims. They are demanding compensation, claiming that successive governments failed to act on unresolved killings, enforced disappearances, and other human rights violations committed under apartheid rule. These claims are tied to findings from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which operated in the late 1990s.
Ramaphosa’s office said the inquiry was part of a settlement agreement with those suing the state. “President Ramaphosa appreciates the anguish and frustration of the families of victims, who have fought for so many years for justice,” the presidency noted.
The TRC, created in 1996 under then-President Nelson Mandela and chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was tasked with exposing the full extent of apartheid-era crimes. The process allowed perpetrators to apply for amnesty in exchange for truth-telling. While some confessed and were granted amnesty, thousands were denied and their crimes referred for prosecution, prosecutions that largely never happened.
One of the most haunting cases is that of the Cradock Four that include Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sicelo Mhlauli, and Sparrow Mkonto, Black anti-apartheid activists kidnapped and murdered in 1985 by security forces. Though six former officers appeared before the TRC in 1999, none were granted amnesty. No one has been charged or prosecuted, and many details of the killings remain shrouded in secrecy.
Lukhanyo Calata, son of Fort Calata and one of the plaintiffs in the January lawsuit, said the ANC-led governments from the Thabo Mbeki era onward consistently ignored the TRC’s recommendations and failed the victims. Calata and other families also allege that high-ranking government officials interfered to block further investigations and prosecutions.
Although most victims were Black South Africans, white families have also joined the call for justice, seeking answers for atrocities committed against their loved ones.
This inquiry could mark a long-awaited breakthrough for victims and their families, who continue to live with the pain of unanswered questions and unserved justice.
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