The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has been given until July 10th to prosecute the alleged known suspects in the murder of the Cradock Four, or they will be taken to the High Court.
The Foundation for Human Rights and law firms representing the families of the Cradock Four, also want the NPA to explain how dockets on the case went missing two-years-ago.
Saturday marks 35-years since Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli were last seen alive after a meeting in Port Elizabeth on the 27th of June 1985.
Their bodies were found near Coega village outside the city the following day.
Human Rights lawyer, Yaasin Sooka, says the State must prosecute all those involved as the decision to murder them was taken by State Security.
“The 1994 inquest found that the State had been behind their killings and that the decision to murder them had been taken by the States Security Council. We know that former President De Klerk was present at the meeting of the State Security Council that authorised their killings. We, therefore, call upon the National Director of Public Prosecutions to indict former Law and Order Minister Adriaan Vlok and President De Klerk, based on the doctrine of command of superean responsibility. As well as Brigadier Van der Westehuizen who gave the signal. All of them are still alive.”
The four anti-apartheid activists spouses say nothing much has changed since the first democratic elections in 1994.
Their families believe they died in vain.
Fort Calata’s wife, Nomonde Calata, says it’s a painful situation.
“It’s so hurtful that after all these years, the situation is still the same, my husband died fighting for equality and freedom, but nothing has changed. People were built houses, but those houses are of the same condition as the shacks they stayed in before, it has all been a lie.”
In the video below, 35-years since the death of Cradock Four:
A Garden of Remembrance in memory of the Cradock Four was unveiled last year.
In the video below, Cradock Four political activist to receive a prestige memorial:
