The reopened inquest into the death of anti-apartheid icon and Black Consciousness Movement founder Stephen Bantu Biko has been adjourned to November 12, 2025, for case management in the Gqeberha High Court, Eastern Cape.
Biko died on September 12, 1977 – 48 years ago.
The postponement comes after a significant hearing where the prosecution informed Judge Buyiswa Majiki that two people of interest in the case were still alive.
Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, representing the Biko family, emphasised the symbolic importance of holding the hearing on the anniversary of Biko’s death, a date agreed upon by both the state and the family.
Tortured to death
Biko, an influential figure in the anti-apartheid liberation struggle, allegedly died from torture inflicted by the apartheid regime’s Special Branch. A 1977 inquest cleared the perpetrators, widely criticised as a whitewash. But they were later denied amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
“The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and its partners will continue their efforts to address the atrocities of the past and assist in providing closure to the families of the deceased and society at large,” said Luxolo Tyali, NPA regional spokesperson for the Eastern Cape.
In another development, the High Court in Mthatha postponed an inquest into the 1993 killing of five children by the South African Defence Force to October 30, 2025, also for case management.
Both inquests, approved by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, aim to present evidence under section 16(2)(d) of the Inquests Act 58 of 1959 to determine whether the deaths involved acts of commission or omissions amounting to an offence. The proceedings mark a renewed effort to confront South Africa’s painful past and deliver justice to victims’ families.
Luthuli recalled
Meanwhile, in May 2024, South Africa’s then Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola, announced the reopening of the inquest into the death of Chief Albert Luthuli based on recommendations from the NPA. New evidence, including a mathematical and scientific analysis, suggested it was highly unlikely that Luthuli was struck by a moving train as originally claimed.
This analysis, combined with investigations by the Truth and Reconciliation Unit of the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), highlighted potential collusion among security police, district surgeons, pathologists, prosecutors, and magistrates during the apartheid era.
The reopened inquest began in April 2025, in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, in KwaZulu-Natal.
READ MORE:Albert Luthuli daughter reiterates her father was not hit by train
