Cradock Four: Why are the victims of apartheid are sueing the government of South Africa. Crime news

The families of South African people killed the apartheid by the police-including a group of anti-apartheid activists killed in one of the most severe cases of 1985-sue the government for the loss of $ 9m. .

According to a case filed in the High Court in Pretoria on Monday, 25 remaining and victim families are sueing President Siril Ramposa and his government, which they call the crimes of the apartheid era properly investigating and giving justice.

The applicants are the families of “Cradock Four”, who were murdered 40 years ago. He has accused the government on “gross failure” that he is allegedly responsible for the killings of six-color-era security officers, and for “repression” interrogation in the case.

Char-Mathyu Gonives, Fort Calata, Sparrow Makhonto, and Sicello Mahlauli-Eastern Cape Province were all anti-opponents of the city (now NXUBA). In 1985, he was kidnapped and murdered by the police, anger between many black South African people was triggered and a significant turn to push for freedom from racist rule.

However, all have died without justice for his alleged killers.

What to know about Cradock Four here and the new case was launched against the government 30 years after the end of Archer:

What happened in 1985?

In the 1980s, in the Cradock community, four activists were known to fight against severe conditions for black South African people, including poor health infrastructure and high fare. Matthew Gonives, in particular, were a popular person and led the Cradock Youth Association (Cradora). Fort Calata was also a prominent member of the group.

The apartheid police officers conducted a continuous survey of Kradora and arrested members like Gonway and Kailata several times before the murders. Officials also tried to divide them: Public School teachers, Gonives were shifted to another area to teach, for example, but refused to work there and was fired by the Education Department.

On the night of June 27, 1985, the four were traveling together in a vehicle, ending the rural gathering work on the outskirts of the city. Police officials stopped him on a road outside GQeberha, which was then called Port Elizabeth. The men were kidnapped and attacked, and then their bodies were burnt and spread to various parts of GQBerha.

His deaths led to sorrow and anger among black South African people and marked a significant intensity of anti -apartheid activity. Thousands of people attended his funeral. Cradocks became four icons, with T-shirts and posters in his name.

Government officials of apartheid denied participation in murders. In 1987, a court found that the four were killed by “unknown persons”.

However, in 1992, leaked documents revealed that Cradora leaders Gonives and Kailata were on the hit list of the Bureau of Civil Cooperation, a government death squad. The then President FWD Classe called for another investigation, in which a judge confirmed that the security forces were responsible, although no names were mentioned.

What did TRC find and why do families feel betrayed?

After the fall of apartheid in 1994 and the onset of democratic rule, the African National Congress (ANC) party-led Ekta Sarkar introduced a truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) in 1996, which investigated the offenses of unconcerned-era, To prosecute or forgive.

The Cradock Four Case was one of them which was reviewed. The commission investigated six police officers who were allegedly involved. That is, officer Eric Alexander Taylor, Gerhardus Johannes Lotz, Nicolas Jensse Van Rensburg, Johann Van Zill, Harmanas Barand Do Plessis, and Colonel Herold Snemann, who are believed to have ordered the murders. By the time of hearing, Snman had passed away.

Although the court allowed forgiveness to several political criminals at that time, it also ordered an inquiry into hundreds of others, including the killers of the Cradock Four, who were denied Amnesty. Officials said that male failed to “complete disclosure” about the circumstances of murders. The TRC needed the accused criminals to fully disclose the incidents that they were involved in considering for an forgiveness.

At that time, the family members of the Cardock Four described their happiness on the verdict, assuming that the South African government prosecuted the accused. However, former President Thabo Mbeki (1999–2008) to Ramposa governments, despite ANC, does not conclude the investigation, which helped enter democracy under Nelson Mandela, which is always in power. Currently, all six accused officers have passed away, the last person died in May 2023.

The Cradock Four families first filed a trial against the country’s National Prosecution Authority (NPA) and the South African police in 2021, asking the court to end the investigation and determine if the matter would go for a test. However, the authorities did not conduct another investigation till January 2024 months after the death of the final accused officer. The proceedings are scheduled to begin in June 2025.

ANC critics have long alleged that there was a secret agreement between the post -prosecuting government and former white minority government to avoid prosecution. In 2021, a former NPA official testified in a separate case in the Supreme Court that MBK’s administration intervened in the TRC process, and in more than 400 cases “repression” prosecution.

MBEKI denies those allegations. In a statement in March 2024, he said, “We have never interfered with the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) work.”

“The executive never stopped the prosecutors from chasing the cases referring to the NPA by the Records and Reconciliation Commission. If the investigation… was referred to, they were stopped by the NPA and not at the behest of the government. ,

What about the new court case?

In the new case, the families of Cradock Four joined the survivors and families of other victims to sue the government to fail to properly investigate their cases. The suit especially named President Ramfosa, Justice and Police Ministers, Chief of NPAs and National Commissioner of Police.

Families are demanding “constitutional loss” to the tune of 167 million rands ($ 9m) for “egoistic violations” of their rights. In the case of four cradock workers, relatives said that because government officials delayed the prosecution, all the accused officers have died, ensuring that no criminal suit would be possible, families “justice, truth and shutdown. “Refusing.

The families asked the courts to force President Ramposa to establish an independent inquiry commission of alleged government intervention under the MBEKI administration.

Odate Geldenhus, a lawyer from Weber Ventzel, will serve as a “alternative” form of justice if given, if given the disadvantage.

“In two decades … not only the families of the victims and the victims died, but also the criminals died,” said Geldenhus. “Criminal law is clear: A corpse cannot be sued. Alternative justice will go to somehow to deal with the ongoing and inter-generation pain. ,

Geldenhus said that this money will be available to all other victims and the remaining people of the political crimes of the apartheid era, and would be used for further investigation, monuments and public education.

Why has this case raised interest in South Africa?

During the era of apartheid, there were four important figures Cradock, but the fact that their deaths had never been fully prosecuted, have caught the interests of many South African people, especially after the complication of the government after apartheid Between the allegations of.

In a statement on Thursday, leftist opposition economic freedom fighters (EFF) party biased with families and survivors and accused the ANC government that former killers, Colonel Eugene D Cock, free to free criminals convicted for freeing guilty criminals including Colonel Eugene D. Cock It was accused of doing. Parole was given in 2015 under the Ramfosa government.

“ANC’s handling of violence of apartheid-era violence has always been suspicious,” the EFF statement said. “It is unacceptable that 30 years after the collapse of apartheid, these families still do not have answers or closed about the fate of their loved ones.”

Many other cases were also included in Monday’s suits, which were not thoroughly investigated after the TRC process. Housing Minister Thebi Nekdimeng, for example, is one of the applicants in the latest case. His sister Nokuthula Simelain, who was killed in 1983, was believed to be kidnapped and tortured by the apartheid security forces.

The 1993 highgate hotel massacre in the city of East London, when five masked people created a storm in the hotel and shot at the people there, they are also part of the new case. Five people were killed, but the remaining Neville Beling and Carl Weber, who were injured in the shooting, joined the Monday suit. No one was ever arrested or investigated. In 2023, an official inquiry was first opened, with the proceedings of this month.

Overall, the case can conduct a new investigation to the deaths of about 30 people. However, many criminals are expected to die.