South Africa to Probe ANC’s Role in Blocking Apartheid-Era Cases

Responding to complaints from survivors and relatives of victims, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa this week ordered an investigation into allegations that past governments led by his African National Congress (ANC) party intentionally blocked prosecutions of apartheid-era crimes, Al Jazeera reported.

The president on Wednesday announced a judicial inquiry to address allegations of “improper influence in delaying or hindering” investigations made against ANC governments – which have led the country since the discriminatory system of apartheid ended in 1994.

The decision comes after 25 survivors and relatives of victims of apartheid-era crimes filed a lawsuit against the government in January, accusing post-apartheid administrations of obstructing justice.

The plaintiffs claimed that previous ANC administrations had failed to properly probe killings, disappearances, and other abuses committed in South Africa under white-minority rule.

The families allege that since the late 1990s, ANC-led governments failed to act on the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) established in 1996 by then-President Nelson Mandela to expose apartheid-era atrocities and offer conditional amnesty to perpetrators who confessed.

Among the most prominent unresolved cases is that of the Cradock Four, a group of four Black anti-apartheid activists who were abducted and murdered by security forces in 1985.

Although the TRC denied amnesty to six security officers linked to the killings in 1999, none were ever prosecuted, and all have since died.

Since the ANC came to power more than 30 years ago, party-led governments have received criticism for prioritizing national reconciliation instead of delivering justice to the victims.

Victims’ families were skeptical that the new inquiry represents any real change, suggesting that it will only offer recommendations and will not compel legal action or resolve their claims for damages, the Guardian noted.

The families are seeking around $8.8 million to fund further investigations, litigation, and education efforts.