Twenty-five families of victims and survivors of political crimes from the apartheid era have initiated legal action against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his administration, alleging inadequate investigation and a lack of justice for these offenses.
The plaintiffs are seeking approximately 167 million rand (around $9 million) in damages, as outlined in a case filed with the High Court in Pretoria on Monday, which was subsequently made public by the Foundation for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization that advocates for the families.
Furthermore, they are asking the court to mandate Ramaphosa to establish a commission of inquiry into the “political interference that contributed to the concealment of numerous serious crimes from South Africa’s past,” according to a statement from the applicants.
A spokesperson for Ramaphosa stated that his legal team would respond to the court filings appropriately, emphasizing that the president has never interfered with law enforcement activities or directed them not to prosecute crimes from the apartheid era.
For many years, South Africa was ruled by a white minority government that enforced systemic racial segregation, transitioning to a multi-racial democracy in 1994.
The African National Congress (ANC) has held power since that time, but last year it was compelled to share governance with smaller parties after losing its majority in a national election.
The primary applicant in this case is Lukhanyo Calata, whose father, Fort Calata, was one of the “Cradock Four,” a group of four anti-apartheid activists who were murdered in 1985.
Despite ongoing investigations, no individuals have been held accountable for these crimes, and a third inquest is scheduled to commence this year, although many key figures linked to the killings have since died.
Calata stated, “The extended wait for justice has ultimately guaranteed that our families will never receive the justice they deserve.”
Among the other applicants are two survivors of the 1993 Highgate Massacre, during which masked attackers took the lives of five individuals at a hotel bar, as well as family members of various anti-apartheid activists who were either killed or disappeared.
