The re-opened inquest into the deaths of the Cradock Four began this morning at the High Court in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, nearly 40 years after the murder of the four anti-apartheid activists.
The Cradock Four inquest kicks off today
The case, involving Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlauli, and Sparrow Mkonto, is being revisited in an effort to uncover the full truth and deliver long-overdue justice to their families.
Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi is attending the proceedings, which form part of a broader effort by the Department of Justice to address unresolved apartheid-era crimes.
The Cradock Four, as they are widely known, were arrested on 27 June 1985 by apartheid security police at a roadblock near Port Elizabeth (now called Gqeberha) while returning from a political meeting.
They were later found dead — their bodies showed clear signs of assault and were partially burnt. Despite evidence linking their deaths to the Security Branch, no one has ever been held accountable.
This is the third formal inquest into their deaths. The first, held in 1987, concluded that the men were killed by “unknown persons.” A second inquest in 1993 acknowledged police involvement but did not name individuals, and again, no prosecutions followed.
Today’s proceedings are different. Only family witnesses are scheduled to testify over the next nine days.
These testimonies are expected to shed light on the enduring pain felt by the families and their long-standing calls for justice. Legal delays, including issues around who should pay for the legal representation of implicated former state officials, postponed the inquest last year.
In 1999, six former police officers admitted during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings to being involved in the Cradock Four’s deaths but were denied amnesty.
The families have since fought to compel the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and police to finalise investigations and pursue prosecutions.
The reopening of the inquest follows a long campaign by the families of Calata, Mhlauli, and Mkonto. In 2021, they took legal action to force authorities to act.
However, by the time the inquest was revived, the last known surviving perpetrator, Hermanus Du Plessis, had died in May 2023.
A classified document from June 1985 previously revealed the state’s intent to permanently remove the men from society.
The same document was shared with Transkei military leaders and led to growing suspicions that the killings were state-sanctioned.
Former Minister of Police Adriaan Vlok and even President PW Botha were allegedly aware of the surveillance and planning.