Media Statement
Re-Opening of Inquests into the deaths of Chief Albert Luthuli, Mlungisi Griffiths Mxenge and Mr Booi Mantyi
13 May 2024
The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Ronald Lamola, MP (Member of Parliament), has accepted and acted on recommendations from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to re-open inquests into the deaths of Chief Albert Luthuli, Mr. Mlungisi Griffiths Mxenge and Mr. Booi Mantyi.
Chief Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli:
Chief Albert Luthuli, a renowned anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, tragically passed away on 21 July 1967. The official reports state that he was hit by a train near Gledthrow station. His untimely death led to various speculations and inquiries, but the exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear to this day.
21 September 1967, an inquest was held by the apartheid regime at the Magistrates’ Court in Stanger, in the district of lower Tugela. This inquest found that the cause of death was due to a fractured skull and cerebral According to the court at the time the “evidence did not disclose any criminal culpability on the part of South African Railways and anyone else.”
As a result of representations made to the National Director of Public Prosecutions which brought to the fore that in 1967, the inquest did not consider certain mathematical and scientific principles. This mathematical and scientific report reveal that it is highly unlikely that Chief Luthuli was struck by a train and died because of that.
Considering this information amongst others and the investigation done by the Truth and Reconciliation Unit of the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, Minister Lamola accepts and agrees that it is necessary and in the interest of justice to approach the Judge President of High Court of South Africa in the KwaZulu-Natal Division to re-open the inquest into the death of Chief Albert Luthuli.
Mr Mlungisi Griffiths Mxenge
On November 20, 1981, the esteemed anti-apartheid activist and African National Congress member, Mr. Mxenge, tragically lost his life under mysterious circumstances.
His body, bearing 45 lacerations, was discovered on a sports field in Umlazi, a grim testament to the violence inflicted upon him. In the wake of his death, an inquest in 1983, conducted under the apartheid regime, failed to identify the perpetrators, despite clear signs of foul play, including evidence of surveillance on Mr. Mxenge’s office and the poisoning of his dogs.
A thorough investigation was not done into the death of Mr. Mxenge. The Harms Commission and Truth and Reconciliation Commission revealed that orders to kill Mr. Mxenge came from Vlakplaas head Dirk Coetzee. Dirk Coetzee and his accomplices Nofomela, and Tshikalanga were granted amnesty for the murder of Mxenge.
There is new evidence that certain critical information was not presented to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the initial inquest, although the perpetrators were clearly identified. Minister Lamola accepts that it is necessary and in the interest of justice to approach the Judge President of High Court of South Africa in the KwaZulu-Natal Division to re-open the inquest into the death of Mr Mxenge.
Mr Booi Mantyi
Mr Booi Mantyi was killed in an alleged altercation with members of the South African Police force on 16 June 1985 in the Northern Cape.
A formal inquest held in De Aar in 1985 ruled that no one was responsible for the death. A new investigation has revealed that an eyewitness who has not previously testified has been identified.
Considering the above, Minister Lamola is of the view that it is necessary and in the interests of justice to request the Judge President of the High Court of South Africa, Northern Cape Division to re-open an inquest into the death of Mr Booi Mantyi.
Minister Lamola, in agreement with the recommendations said “With these inquests, we open very real wounds which are more difficult to open 30 years into our democracy, but none the less, the interest of justice can never be bound by time the truth must prevail.”
Ends
Enquiries:
Mr. Chrispin Phiri
Spokesperson: Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services
081 781 2261
Issued by the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services
